Shadow of the Blight
by Aysu
Summary: An ancient evil rises once more, and it is up to a group of young people to come together to stop it. Fantasy AU.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** Okay, I have no excuse. I know I should finish my other two stories before starting another story, but I really like this one. It started to get my head through a writer's blockade over in _Retribution _a_ _nd now has about 50k words sunk into it. Like in my other stories,_ _I'll be posting sporadically on this one as consecutive chapters get finished._

 _Anyway,_ Shadow of the Blight _is a heavily fantasy AU. There will be no spoilers for the games other than character names and possibly skills, and I really don't think those count. Typical warnings for blood, violence, and language, though they will stay in the_ 'T' _rating. There will be romance, awesome battles and adventures, complicated to pronounce names, humor, and friendship. Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Ter Dralzen, Hae Demerenth, the Shadow, the Blight. All names for one, encroaching and corrupting evil. None knew where the evil came from, only that it was there, and it was deadly. Once, it spread unchecked across the land, tainting and warping every object, every creature it touched. Any that stood against it, fell against it. To all, it seemed like the evil could never be stopped. And yet, one nameless hero rose up in the world's darkest hour, pledging to stop the Blight._

 _The hero traveled the lands, begging aid from the dragons, the elves, the dwarves, and the sprites. Using powerful artefacts from each of the great tribes, he stood against the Blight, faced it down, and sealed it in what would come to be known as the Shadow's Gorge. He returned from the battle, weary, but triumphant. The threat had not been destroyed, but it had been contained. What had been twisted slowly regained their former shapes. Those that had been lost were mourned._

 _For thousands of years after that glorious victory, peace reigned. The world recovered, and her people grew strong and prospered. The Blight remained in memory, though to most it had moved to legend. Few remained who knew it to be truth, and even they assumed the evil would remain contained for all time. However, that belief and hope did not hold true…_

 **OOOOOO**

Golden flames flickered and danced, illuminating a large cavern. A solitary young man stood before a semi-circle of five older men. The young man had long, blond hair and clear, blue eyes that blazed as he spoke to them. As he talked, elongated canines could be seen flashing in the golden firelight. He wore a long-sleeved tunic shirt made of black cloth with matching black pants. He had a sword sheathed across his back with a glittering, golden sword hilt and a smooth, red gem set in the crosspiece. The five men he addressed each had fine, golden hair, and golden eyes. All of them wore loose, golden robes. Three of the five looked mildly intrigued by the younger men, but the remaining two had looks of disdain on their faces. Finally, the young man fell silent and gazed beseechingly up at the others. The center figure released a long sigh.

"Matt, you know that what you're saying is insane. You'd never even get close to the Blight's source and you know it," the man said in a deep, rich voice. He, too, had fangs that glinted in the light. Around his neck was a torque necklace of pure gold.

A second figure snorted and smoke curled from his nostrils. "If a full dragon cannot make the quest than it is well known that a halfbreed would never even come close," he said in a disparaging tone.

Matt bristled and spoke in a low voice, "No creature has even attempted the quest in thousands of years. And my blood's purity has nothing to do with my talent. I won the last competition; I'm the strongest of this generation."

A third dragon spoke up in a bored voice, "As I recall, you were disqualified for using a sword."

The drakeling's fists clenched, "None of the rules of the contest outlawed the use of swords. I know the real reason I was disqualified was because I'm not a full dragon. And honestly, I don't really care about that. Having more than one way to defend myself only increases my chances of succeeding."

The first dragon let out a thoughtful grumble. "That is true."

A new dragon spoke, "I must say that I agree with Matt. It's well known to us all that the seal on the Blight is weakening. I fail to see any reason to not let him go."

"Luthradax, you are blinded by your fondness for your spawn," the second dragon sneered.

Luthradax turned a cold eye on him, "Perhaps, but you are just as blinded by your hatred of difference, Lenral. Pray tell: what is your plan to stop the Blight?"

Lenral shrank back some from the furious look and question. He rallied and said, "Not send a halfbreed."

The fifth dragon let out a chuckle, "Perhaps you'd like to volunteer to go instead?" He turned his golden eyes back on Matt and considered him. "I must say that I agree with Luthradax. The boy has a nice air about him and none here can truly deny that he is strong. Not without it being a lie, anyway."

Matt nodded his thanks and turned his eyes to the other dragons. He dared to begin to hope that he would win this fight.

"I cannot agree with this. He is too young and brash. None of the other kingdoms will listen to him," the third dragon said in a flat voice. He cast a glance at the dragon beside him, "What say you, Lumen?"

The center dragon thoughtfully nodded and Matt felt his hopes be crushed.

"Lorn makes a valid point. It is true that the others are not likely to listen to Matt. However, it is also true that he is most fitted for this task. He is strong and is versatile in his ways to protect himself," the dragon said. He frowned at the bright look that shone in Matt's eyes, "Furthermore, we cannot spare full dragons to this cause, and he would not be greatly missed if he died."

Matt flinched at the majority of nods from the other dragons. Only Luthradax and the dragon next to him shook their heads, but they remained silent. The drakeling clenched his fists, but refused to argue with them. It was a hopeless battle that he knew he would lose. The important thing was that he could sense that Lumen would agree, if only to finally get Matt out of his scales.

As expected, Lumen nodded, "It is a majority. Matt will journey to the other lands and ask for their aid in stopping the Blight. The Shadow threatens us all and we cannot sit idle as it spreads once more. To aid his quest, I will send a letter of my approval to deliver to the others. They will not lightly turn away an elder wyrm's words."

There were a few moments of silence as the dragon wrote his message. He rolled the parchment up breathed a small spurt of golden flame around it. When the flames died, a golden ribbon bound the paper shut. Lumen handed the roll to Luthradax, who accepted it with a nod.

Lumen stood and walked past Matt, who remained facing forwards. The dragon paused and said, "You may be best fit for this quest, but bear in mind that you will never be fit to call yourself a light dragon." With that, he swept to the entrance of the cave and with a flash of light, transformed into his true form. A mighty golden dragon roared and took off with the beating of great wings.

Matt remained still as the rest of the council strode past him. He gave a half smile as Luthradax stopped in front of him along with the other dragon who agreed to send him on the quest.

"Thanks for sticking up for my side, dad, Lenth," Matt said in a quiet, but grateful voice.

"You were in the right," Lenth said with a shrug. "Your blood has nothing to do with your skill and spirit, and they know it. Besides, the Blight needs to be dealt with, and you are the first in thousands of years to be willing to try. I hope you succeed in your quest and return safely." He grinned at the young drakeling and added, "If nothing else, at least you'll be able to stick it to the rest of the council when you get back."

Matt nodded with a grin of his own. He smiled as Lenth gave one more conspiring grin and headed for the exit of the cavern. With a flash, the dragon transformed and dropped off the ledge and out of sight. The drakeling turned to his father, who was warmly smiling down at him. The dragon laid a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder.

"You remind me more and more of Clara each day. I'm proud of you for standing up here today and I know that she is too, wherever her spirit now rests," the older dragon said. He squeezed his son's shoulder once and let go. With a thoughtful look, he watched his son, and then glanced at the entrance of the cavern. Finally, he nodded.

"I can fly you to the edge of our lands nearest the Grand Elves. Head for their capital, and request an audience with the queen. She will see you without a doubt, and will be likely to aid you. Take great care in your journey, Matt, please," he said in a soft voice. "Your grandfather might not care about you, but I do. I know you know this, but be careful who you trust, okay? And don't reveal you're a drakeling if you don't have to."

Matt nodded, "I'll be as careful as possible, dad, don't worry. I'll come back someday, and it won't be in shame. Maybe then, Lumen will understand that drakelings can be good as well."

With a small smile, Luthradax led the way to the cave entrance. He transformed into his dragon form and lowered his neck for Matt to grab. Once the drakeling was securely perched on his shoulders by the joints of his wings, he lifted up and soared off the cliff. He banked to the north and dipped to skim the waves of the water surrounding the meeting place. The water rushed past beneath them and changed to soft sand. Soon, they were swooping over a lush forest and finally, he slowed to a halt on the far side. The dragon lowered to the ground and allowed Matt to slide off before transforming back.

"I wish I could do that," Matt said with a wistful grin. "Flying is fun."

His father chuckled, "Maybe you will, someday." He waved away the confused look Matt gave him and held out the scroll from the elder light wyrm. "Take this and head directly north. You should come across a road that will lead you directly to the Grand Elf city of Arthrena," he directed. Finally he wrapped his son in a tight hug and with a smile on his face, "Good luck, be careful, and dare I say have fun with the fighting; I know you will, anyway."

Matt returned the embrace with a tight one of his own. He let go and turned to the north. At the crest of the hill, he looked back and waved as his father lifted off the ground again. The dragon roared a farewell and took off to the south once more. The young drakeling took a deep breath and started walking. He had a long way to go before he could return. And just maybe he would finally be able to think of the land as his home.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt had only been traveling for a few days and already he was as sick of the people he'd come across as he had been with the ones back home. Humans treated him well enough until they found out he was a halfbreed and then they tended to call him foul names or even attack him. Non-humans took one whiff of his mixed scent, or caught the mixed aura around him and turned their noses up at him. Even the other half-bloods seemed to dislike him; although they always seemed more wary of him than anything else. Still, it was tiring to be rejected wherever he went.

With a depressed sigh, Matt turned from the travel house he had been thinking of staying at for the night. He knew that he would be singled out almost immediately if he went in, and he didn't want to deal with that at the moment. The drakeling turned back to the well-worn road and continued walking. His dragon blood made seeing at night no problem, and although his magic was stronger during the day, he enjoyed the nighttime. There were few travelers, so he didn't need to deal with the looks he often received, and he enjoyed the greater challenge night predators gave.

As he walked, he decided that he should probably count himself lucky that no-one had mentioned his dragon blood, or had taken much of an interest in him past mockery. He'd heard many, many tales of drakelings being slaughtered or captured for a number of reasons. Some simply wanted to eradicate any and all half-bloods. Others—namely humans—wanted dragon blood, bones, and organs for medicine and potions, and drakelings fit in that category. Still others caught and sold half-bloods as slaves and pit-fighters. Technically, the unprovoked capture, selling, and or killing of half-bloods were illegal, but many enforcers would turn a blind eye. The hatred and fear of half-bloods ran long and deep and Matt doubted that the message he carried from Lumen would save him from any of those fates.

Matt's hand shot to his sword and he slashed a large bat out of the air as it swooped towards him. The creature gave a shrill cry as it died and Matt eyed the corpse. He debated eating it since he hadn't stopped for lunch or dinner. With a shrug, he sliced a chunk out of the bat and stuffed it in his mouth raw. The drakeling made a face at the tough and stringy texture, but swallowed a few more bites before standing up again. He spat a small stream of golden flames on what remained and watched it incinerate before continuing on.

"Some rabbit would be way better. Pork would be good too. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers, I guess," Matt mused to himself. "Maybe I should learn to cook. I bet bat meat would taste better cooked. Dunno the first thing about cooking besides heating the meat, though. I have the fire part down already, so that's good. I guess I'll just kill the next thing with fire and see what it tastes like that way."

Matt shrugged the thought away and glanced up at the half moon hanging over head. He figured he had another six hours until dawn and decided he might as well look for a suitable place to sleep. He cast his eyes around, scanning the darkened landscape. What would have been indistinguishable black smudges to a human were clear shapes, albeit without color, to Matt. His eyes settled on a large group of rocks on a hill not far from the road. Deciding it was as good of a place to sleep as any, he headed off the road and into the grass.

To his surprise, the boulders were much larger than he had first assumed. Thy stood in a cluster and the shortest one still reached three times taller than he was. Matt scanned the stones and spotted a shallow indent on one. With a grin, he grabbed hold of a long crack in one and began hauling himself up the side. Soon, he was nestled in the alcove, out of direct sight of the road and out of reach of any ground predators. The drakeling pulled his sword around to rest across his chest instead of his back and slumped back against the stone. He fell asleep with one hand on the hilt of his weapon.

The next day started with overcast skies. Matt dropped down from the alcove and stretched his arms over his head. He turned his head into the light breeze and inhaled deeply. With a frown, he smelled rain on the wind and heaved a sigh. Rain meant miserable traveling conditions; muddy roads, wet clothing, and poor vision. He glanced at the sky with a grumpy look and turned to head back to the road. With any luck, he would make it to Arthrena before the rain hit.

Matt maintained a steady jog for the entire morning. The skies held off on the rain, but the clouds grew darker, signaling that it wouldn't be much longer before the downpour started. He had just crossed a shallow river when he felt the first drops of rain. With a groan, he glanced around for some kind of shelter, and saw nothing but grassland all around with the river at his back. Resigning himself to trekking through the rain, he glanced at the river behind him. The rain grew steadily heavier, coming down in constant large drops.

"Glad I made it across that before it flooded. Still, it would have been nice not to get soaked. Oh, well," Matt sighed as he turned and kept walking.

Before long, the drakeling was soaked. His blond hair dripped water and clung to his skin and back. His clothing was waterlogged. Every step he took was accompanied by a sloshing-squelching sound from the muddy road and water caught in his boots. Every little while, he raised a hand to swipe rain off his face and peered around for shelter before grumbling when nothing was around. The rain had picked up to a thundering downpour that didn't seem like it would ever let up.

Suddenly, some instinct had Matt twisting around with his hand flying to grip the hilt of his sword. He hadn't heard anything over the sound of the rain, nor could he see anything suspicious, but a creeping chill unrelated to the weather had him warily scanning for a threat. Matt cursed the rain for ruining any scents he might have picked up, as well as for muffling any sounds he might have caught. Slowly turning in a circle, the drakeling still saw nothing. It wasn't until he finally lowered his hand that whatever was there attacked.

A crack split the ground beneath Matt's feet, sending him toppling down. He rolled away and sprang to his feet in time to see thick, black tendrils whipping out of the crack. Matt's blue eyes widened as he recognized them as the Blight and he immediately held both hands out in front of him. A blast of pure light erupted from his palms and slammed into the writhing shadows. Almost instantly, the shadows dissipated or withdrew, but the drakeling maintained the attack for a few more seconds.

Matt finally cut the spell off once he was sure the threat had been nullified. He lowered his arms again, and stared at the crack left behind. The dirt surrounding the crack was glowing pale white with the residue from his light spell. Despite the success of his attack, the drakeling frowned. As far as he knew, the Shadow shouldn't be able to form. He had heard rumors of it popping up here and there, seemingly at random, but this had been his first experience with it. The fact that it could manifest merely firmed his resolve that the Blight needed to be dealt with, regardless of what the world thought of him.

The drakeling turned north and kept walking; the sooner he made it to Arthrena, the better. He might be okay against random Blight strikes since he was a light creature, but he didn't want to push his luck. Plus, others wouldn't be so lucky. There had been dozens of reports of people dying from what they were calling Gloom Fever. Most victims who came in contact with the Blight became ill within just a couple of days. They ran high fevers, went insane, and then, if they weren't treated swiftly and properly, they died. Creatures of light were less affected by the affliction than others, but they weren't immune. Matt mused that he was likely more vulnerable than a full-blooded light dragon, but less vulnerable than a non-light creature.

Matt picked his pace up to a slow jog. The sooner he could get the elven artifact he needed, the sooner he could eliminate the Blight. Random attacks of shadows and monsters wouldn't stop him. He squinted up at the still raining sky and added that crappy weather wouldn't stop him either. He gave a grin when he realized the rain was letting up some. His grin widened even further when he saw a rest house ahead of him. The drakeling decided he would deal with the unfriendly atmosphere, if only to have a dry place to sleep for the night. He reached to his side as he jogged up to the door and felt his coin purse. Satisfied that it was still there, and that he had enough gold for the night, Matt pushed the door open.

Immediately, warm air swept over him. Matt stepped inside with a relieved smile and shut the door behind him. There were only two other people inside, much to his relief; the fewer people he had to deal with, the better. Matt walked past an older human, who gave him an uninterested glance, and headed straight up to the person standing behind the wooden counter. He waited patiently as the man finished stacking newly cleaned dishes away and gave a small smile when the man turned.

"Hullo, stranger, you look like you've had a bad trip," the man greeted with a glance at Matt's wet clothing. His eyes glanced at Matt's sharp canines, but he said nothing.

Matt sighed and nodded, "Yes, bad weather out there; got attacked by the Blight, as well. Lucky, I'm good with light magic."

The man's eyes widened, "Lucky indeed. It didn't get you, did it?"

"Nah, I banished it almost immediately," Matt assured him. "Anyway, I'd like a room for the night and something hot to eat and drink."

"We have plenty of rooms open right now. Bed and meal will come out to seventy gold pieces," the man said.

Matt counted out the gold from his coin purse and slid the small stack across the counter. The man brushed them into a small pouch that he tucked in his pocket and passed a small key to Matt. The drakeling nodded as he was told his room was first on the left upstairs and that a towel as well as some water would be sent up. He walked up the narrow wooden stairs and unlocked his room. There was a single bed, a small table with a bowl on it, and a chair. One window sat in the wall across from the door, looking out over the road.

Matt had only been in there for a few minutes when a soft knock came from the door. He opened it to see a young girl in her early teens holding a large pitcher and a clean towel. The girl looked nervous at the sight of him, and offered the items in a trembling voice. Her nervousness increased as she saw his head tilt as he studied her. The drakeling shook his head slightly and gave her a grin as he thanked her before shutting the door again.

As soon as she was out of sight, Matt frowned. The girl's scent was very clearly not completely human, and he wondered if she expected him to reveal that to her employer. He sighed as he stripped out of his clothing and stretched them out over the chair and table to dry. He did a quick scrub with the towel and water before pulling on a spare set of dry clothing. With that taken care of, he strapped his sword back on. He stepped out of his room, locking the door behind him.

Back in the main room, the man at the counter waved him over to a bowl of steaming soup of some kind sitting on a table near the fire. Matt grinned and made his way over to it. He sat down and promptly inhaled the soup, discovering that it was some kind of bird with vegetables. He made a face at the pieces of celery floating in the broth, but ate them anyway. Food was food, even if it was green. The girl from earlier came out of the kitchen carrying a smaller pitcher and a tin cup. She set the cup down in front of Matt and poured water into it. She ducked away as soon as she was done and hurried out of sight. Matt's gaze followed her to the kitchen until she was gone.

"Don't mind her, she's new and unused to seeing magic folk," the man behind the counter said.

Matt nodded slightly, but before he could reply, the front door banged open and four men filed in. They were talking and laughing loudly as they made their way to the counter. Matt warily watched them as they ordered four rooms, some food, and some ale. As far as he could tell, they were all human, but he stood up to head back to his room, just in case. There was no point inviting questions that could lead to revealing his half-blood status. They'd find out as soon as they asked his name, and he didn't feel like dealing with the resulting insults.

The drakeling slipped around their table as they settled down around it with a silent nod to them, and headed up the stairs. He ducked into his room and locked the door. After checking how his clothing was drying, he flopped on the bed with a sigh. He wondered if he should take up an alias or not. It would save him trouble when humans asked his name and found out it was Matt. Still, the thought didn't sit well with him. Even if the name was merely a label to show he wasn't a pure-blood, and therefore 'unworthy' of a pure-blood name, it was still his. With a sigh, he decided he would likely forget to respond to the alias, and pure-bloods would know right away that he was lying, anyway. On top of that, if a dragon found out he, a drakeling, was using a full-dragon name, he would likely be killed.

Not for the first time, Matt cursed the racism that was so prevalent in the world. Even simple things like greetings had to be done carefully or not at all. The magic races had their own unique styles of names, but half-bloods were not allowed to be given them. Parents of 'impure' children were forced to give them a human name to mark them as closer to human than to whatever creature they also were. It was pointless bigotry, and yet was widely accepted by all races, including most half-bloods—if only because they had no other choice. Dully, Matt supposed that considering half-bloods not of the same kind, made it easier to mistreat a half-blood. Certainly, he'd had his share of abuse.

After his mother had died of illness, he had been chased out of his home and forced to live in the wilderness. He had only been six at the time. He had taught himself to hunt for food, following his dragon instincts. He had stolen what he couldn't find or build, leading to sever beatings when he'd gotten caught. There had been numerous attempts to capture and kill him, many of which still haunted his dreams. It had been during one of those attempts that his father had found him. Matt had finally been caught and held by a group of humans. They'd had the insane idea that eating dragon hearts granted immortality and invulnerability, if done with the proper rituals.

They had been preparing the altar, deaf to Matt's desperate yells, when a dragon had plummeted out of the sky and killed them all. Matt had cowered back against the bars of his cage when the massive head turned and fixed a golden eye on him. He was stunned when the dragon had vanished to be replaced by a tall man with long, blond hair. The man had seemed just as astonished to see the drakeling, and immediately set to freeing him.

Although Matt hadn't known during the seven years he had spent alone, Luthradax had been searching for him. His father had been sent on a long journey to 'atone for the sin of loving a human' when Matt was four. Because of that, he hadn't been there when Clara had died, and Matt driven off. Matt didn't even recognize his father when they had been reunited. Instead, he had attacked Luthradax as soon as he was let loose from the cage the humans had been keeping him in. He remembered how quickly and easily his father had pinned him, and how certain he had been that the dragon holding him down would kill him. Instead, he had been pulled up and embraced in such a gentle hug that he had frozen.

Even after that, he'd had a hard life, though it was far better than it had been. He wasn't allowed in the dragon's nests, so his father came to live with him outside them. Luthradax had taken great pains and care to build bonds with his son, despite Matt's bitter and mistrusting attitude. He had trained Matt to use the magic in his blood, perfected his hunting and fighting, and taught him as best he was able. It wasn't long before Matt warmed to his father; only a few months, in fact. Hating just wasn't in the drakeling's nature, and he had also feared that maybe he would push away the only one who had cared for him since his mother's death; maybe the only one who ever would care for him ever again.

That was a fear that held to the present day. Matt knew that Luthradax—though on the council due to his age, wisdom, bloodline, and experience—was scorned by many other dragons for having and caring for his half-blood child. He still half-expected that one day Luthradax would realize how much easier his life would be if he just threw his son away. It was a fear he'd never shared with his father, but he wondered if maybe the dragon knew it anyway. Sometimes, without any prompting or reason, Luthradax would reassure his son that he was important and loved. Matt always complained that it was a sappy thing to say—which always earned him a laugh from Luthradax—but secretly loved his father for saying so. Having someone there to help, guide, and care for him had been a major relief and joy.

Occasionally, younger dragons had come and harassed the drakeling, but that soon became a rarity. They had quickly found out that years of living alone by his own wits and skills had made Matt a very dangerous and resourceful foe. Many times, they were taken down by the drakeling even when they had superior numbers and it was an ambush. Matt had a knack for making his surroundings work to his advantage, whatever they were. They stopped coming entirely when the drakeling began watching sword drills and copying them. He was a natural with a blade and became good enough with one that older dragons began to take notice. That was how he had met Lenth.

Matt hadn't known who the older dragon was when he first met him, but Lenth had never bothered him. He had come by multiple times when Matt practiced, silently watching and appraising. The young drakeling hadn't even known he was being watched for the first several weeks. Even when he found out about his audience, he hadn't been bothered, though he had been wary. It was three weeks after he had spotted the dragon that Lenth showed up outside the cave Matt stayed at with his father.

Luthradax had greeted him as a friend, and that had helped settle Matt's anxiety. It also helped that Lenth had come with a gift in the form of a very nice sword and an offer to join the traditional competition for young dragons. Matt had agreed to join with an eager grin and he had won. And though it had ended with disqualification, Matt gained the confidence and recognition he needed to approach the full council to quest to stop the Blight.

A shriek from downstairs broke Matt from his thoughts of the past. He jolted upright and listened to a sudden commotion from down stairs. Another cry came through the door, and he recognized it as the half-blood girl. Without any thoughts of what the consequences might be to his actions, he charged out of his room with one hand on his sword hilt. Matt bounded down the stairs and around the corner to see the same men from earlier holding onto the young girl with wide, drunken grins. The girl struggled in their grasp with a look of fear on her face. The man holding her threw her to a different man and laughed as she was shoved back and fell to the ground.

Behind them, with an anxious look on his face, was the travel house owner. He watched the men torment his employee with a look of distress, wanting to help, but knowing he was no match for all four of them. Matt, however, knew he was. In a flash of motion, the drakeling charged towards the group. He snagged the girl and carried her free of the circle before the drunken men realized what had happened. With a small, reassuring grin, Matt let the girl go and turned to the men who were now glowering at him.

"Who d'you think you are?" one man slurred.

A second man answered him, "Another high and mighty monster, I'd say."

Matt arched a brow, "The 'high and mighty monster' would like to take this outside. We wouldn't want to stain the floors with your blood, after all, now would we?"

There were four snarls of anger as Matt dashed out the door. As he had hoped, the men followed him out to the yard. They were uncertain on their feet due to alcohol, and completely oblivious to the fact that Matt was already working on disabling them further. One man lunged at the blond, but wound up on the ground, spitting out mud, when he was tripped. A second man tried a similar tactic, and landed on top of the first man. Matt sent the two still standing a lazy and mocking grin.

"Damn you, swine," a third man bellowed.

"Dragon, actually," Matt corrected in an even voice. "Although, I guess it's dark so I can forgive the mistake. Let me fix that problem for you."

A brilliant flash suddenly illuminated the yard. The four men let out yells of surprise and pain as they were blinded by the sudden shift in lighting. Matt seized their weakness and lunged forwards. With a series of rapid jabs, the men were knocked out. He surveyed his work with a satisfied grin then walked back inside. The half-blood girl was still sitting where he had left her, though the house owner had joined her at the table and set a cup of tea down in front of her. They looked up at the door opening with nervous looks that changed to relieved smiles when Matt walked in.

"Thank you, sir," the man said in a grateful tone.

The young girl nodded and said in a quiet voice, "Thank you."

Matt waved the thanks off with an easy smile, "It was nothing. They were easy to beat and I dislike bullies."

The man nodded, though he had a hesitant look on his face. He glanced at the serving girl, then back at Matt and said, "Forgive me if I'm wrong or if I offend you, but you are a half-blood, correct?"

Matt stiffened and stared at the man. His shoulders slumped and he nodded with a sigh, "Yes, I am. Would you like me to leave?"

"No, no, of course not," the man hastily reassured him. "I have absolutely no problems with half-bloods. How can I when my own daughter, Lena, is one?" He gestured at the serving girl and Matt's eyes widened.

"I had no idea she was your daughter, though I knew she was a half-blood of some sort," Matt admitted. "Did you know what I was when I walked in?"

The man shook his head, "No, not until after Lena came back from delivering your water and towel. As I said, it doesn't matter to me, but I am a little surprised that you helped her. Most half-bloods leave a situation like that one alone."

Matt shrugged, "Not me. At least they were just drunks and not picking on her for her blood."

Lena nodded, "That's true. I'm sorry for being scared of you earlier. I wish all half-bloods got along, but I know they don't."

"I wish everyone got along, but they don't," Matt muttered. "Anyway, I need to leave early, so I'm going to go to sleep. I'm pretty sure I can trust you not to tell people that I'm the one who knocked those guys out."

"Of course we won't, good night, sir," the man said.

Lena echoed him with a small smile. Matt climbed back up the stairs to his room with a grin on his face. He locked his door behind him and moved to flop on the bed with a sigh. The conversation he'd just had was an incredible boost for his moral. It was good to have met people who knew what he was—though they didn't know he was a drakeling—and not be rejected and thrown out. Instead, he had been thanked and welcomed. Matt decided he would use their reaction as his reason to fight. He would rid the world of the Blight not only so that it would no longer be a threat, but also to allow people like the travel house owner and his daughter the chance to live safely.

Matt sat up and unbuckled his sword. He leaned the weapon against the side of his bed within easy reach. He flopped onto the mattress again, and, without even pulling a blanket up, fell fast asleep.

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 _ **A/N:** So, I hope some people will enjoy this story. Let me know what you think!  
_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**_ _ _Tah-dah!_ _H_ ere is the next chapter, 'cuz it's already done. :3 Thank you for the few reviews. I've been feeling bereft of them, lately; makes me want to stop writing. :( I want to give a _**_BIG_** _thank you to **FierceDeityMask** and **mysteriousguy898** for always reviewing my work. I really, really appreciate it. :3_

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Matt left the travel house early the next morning. Lena gave him a small wrap that contained sandwiches for his lunch. She and her father thanked him again for saving Lena the night before and waved him off down the road. Matt grinned as he waved back before setting his sights on the distant smudge he knew was Arthrena. The sky was clear and a light mist swirled just above the ground. The air was peacefully still, though a few songbirds chirped in the grass.

Matt grinned and started jogging. He would make it to Arthrena just before noon, and would request an audience with the queen of the grand elves. As he jogged, he wondered how long it would take before he could actually speak to the queen. He didn't know much about elven politics, but he'd had to wait nearly three months before the light dragon council would speak with him, and that had been fast. Matt hoped it wouldn't take as long with the elves; he had a letter from Lumen, and that was likely to speed the process.

Idly, Matt wondered if he needed to behave differently in front of the queen. It was simple with dragons; they were mostly uncaring of conduct. Still, he knew that humans had many rules of address and mannerisms they followed when speaking to people of all different kinds. He hoped that the elves wouldn't expect too much, learning human customs had been enough of a pain. He decided that he would be polite, follow how others addressed the queen, and hope that would be enough.

Arthrena grew larger in his vision as he drew closer, and Matt's breath caught at the graceful beauty of the city. The buildings were tall with graceful arches and spires, with glinting roofs and intricate carvings. He could see small splashes of color as banners fluttered in the wind. The surrounding landscape was a patch work of green and brown farmland with streams of water crisscrossing it. With a grin, Matt slowed to a walk to catch his breath. Matt walked up to the entrance of the city and felt a strange humming sensation. He paused in confusion, wondering what it was, but was waved through by a tall elf wearing glinting armor.

Matt paused next to the guard and inwardly sighed when the man shrank away. Obviously, the elf knew he was a drakeling; likely every elf he came across would know. Still, the guard only took one step back before halting. The elf warily eyed him, but said nothing. Finally, Matt grew tired of the silence.

"I come with a message from Elder Light Wyrm Lumen for the Grand Elf Queen. How do I go about gaining an audience with her?" Matt asked in a level voice.

The man hesitated for a moment, then said, "May I see the message, or is it for Her Highness' eyes only?"

Matt shrugged and fished out the scroll bound with the gold ribbon, "It's sealed, but I doubt you seeing what's inside would be a problem." He stepped forward to hand it over, but stopped when the guard backed away and tightened his grip on his spear.

"No matter, I can sense the Elder Light Wyrm's magic from here. Head straight for the palace, the wall will open for you. Someone inside will guide you from there," the guard hastily said. "Stay out of trouble while in Arthrena."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Matt said with a sigh. "Thank you for your help."

Matt turned away and walked down the street. Elves bustled about as they completed their daily tasks, and the drakeling watched them pass with fascination. They all wore flowing robes in bright colors and delicate jewelry of gold and silver. Their ears were long and pointed, and their hair was in every color of the rainbow. Their eyes were slanted in narrow faces with high cheekbones. All of them were at least a head taller than the drakeling, causing him to wonder if all elves were so tall, or just the Grand Elves. Each of them emanated an aura of magic that made Matt's skin tingle. He couldn't really tell how old any of them were, either. Elves could live for a long time, and he wondered at what point they started finally showing their age.

Finally, Matt shook himself out of his stupor with a small grin that set his fangs flashing in the sun. He supposed it didn't really matter how old they were. His head continued to twist around, trying to see everything at once. Luckily, he had an excellent sense of space, so he managed to avoid running into anyone or anything. His wide eyes took in streams of crystal clear water flowing through narrow stone channels. He passed a small park with crystal lanterns and fountains. And the buildings were all so tall! With all the sights so different from his homeland, where dragons lived in caves or on mountains and the humans in primarily wooden houses no taller than two-stories, he was able to avoid the uncomfortable, even hostile looks shot his way.

A commotion from across the street had Matt twisting. He saw a young woman with long orange hair get thrown out of a door to land in the streets. A tall and, shockingly, aged elf came to the door way to shout abuse at the elf on the ground. She stood up and planted her hands on her hips. The two elves glared at each other for a long moment, but whatever they said, Matt couldn't hear over the sounds of the street. Finally, the old elf slammed the door and the young woman turned to leave. Matt caught sight of her face as she left and tilted his head. She looked slightly different from the other elves, but he couldn't quite figure out how before she vanished into the crowd.

Matt shrugged and turned to keep walking. He supposed every society had its outcasts. The young woman was chased out of his mind when he rounded a corner to see the palace of Arthrena. Water cascaded down from various spouts set at alternating heights all over the walls. He could just see the edges of the roofs and admired as they sparkled in the sunlight. He figured there must be a sizeable fortune set in the stone for it to glitter like that. As far as he could tell, the white stone of the walls were one solid piece. That was baffling to him, and he was unable to figure out how they had managed that feat. He stared it with a frown before deciding that it must have been through some kind of elven magic. He could certainly feel a lot of mana coming from the palace.

Then, a series of carvings in the ground caught Matt's eyes. He stopped and looked down at them. It was writing, he realized; ancient elvish writing. It only took him a moment to figure out what the words said.

"' _From stone and spirit, Anthenalla was called, and by stone and spirit, she shall forever stand. Her stone as strong as her people, her waters as pure as their magic,'_ " Matt read aloud to himself. He looked back up at the palace, "Anthenalla, huh?"

Finally, Matt stepped up to a large arch, blocked by more solid stone. He hesitated as he wondered how he was supposed to get inside. The wall simply vanished a second later, and Matt jumped. He laughed off his moment of surprise and stepped inside. Immediately, the wall reappeared behind him. Matt placed a hand on the cool stone, and found it solid. Whether that was because it was, or just a very convincing illusion was up in the air, though.

A cough sounded from behind the drakeling, causing him to spina around again. There he saw a truly wizened elf watching him with shrewd and amused eyes. He wore a long, flowing, white robe with a golden sash. Matt blushed and ducked his head. He fished out the scroll from his pocket and took a breath to explain what he needed. The old elf held a hand up to halt his speech before he could say a word.

"We know why you have come, Matt, son of Luthradax, son of Lumen," the old man said in a low, rich voice. His eyes were not unkind, however.

Matt started; he hadn't told anyone in the city his name, much less his linage. He awkwardly shuffled for a moment before nodding. "May I ask your name?" he hesitantly requested.

The old elf looked pleased at his manners. "I am Rellan, High Seer to Her Majesty Leanala, Queen of the Grand Elves," he said with a bow.

Matt returned the bow uncertainly, resulting in another approving look from Rellan. He straightened up and asked, "I was told at the front gate that someone here would guide me. Was he speaking of you?"

"Indeed, I am your guide during your stay at Anthenalla," Rellan said with another nod. "I will be happy to answer any questions you may have to the best of my abilities, as well aid in whatever way I can."

Matt's shoulders slumped in relief, "I am so glad to hear that." He straightened and asked, "Can you tell me how I can gain an audience with the queen, and how I should conduct myself around her?"

A small light of surprise lit Rellan's eyes, "I was sure you must have studied our customs some before coming here. Your manners and bearing have been impeccable."

The drakeling flushed some an awkwardly shrugged. "I've never met an elf before today, and I'd never thought to ask my father about it. I figured be polite and do what they do," he admitted. "I'm worried that won't be enough, though. I'm sorry if I offend."

"Good manners go a long way with any reasonable species," Rellan said with a smile. He turned and beckoned to Matt, "Our customs can be complex, but we are understanding of foreigners' ignorance. Come, I can answer your questions someplace more comfortable than the entry hall."

Matt fell into step a little ways behind Rellan. Once again, his attention was distracted by his surroundings. The walls, floor, and ceiling were comprised entirely of glittering crystal. Graceful arches, also comprised of crystal, stretched from the floor to the ceiling Small balls of pale blue-white light floated about to illuminate the way. Water trickled past on either side of the hall, gently splashing. Large birds with glowing white plumage, and silver eyes, beaks and feet, fluttered about between the arches, occasionally letting out musical warbles. Matt got the sense that they were there for more than just beauty, though they also filled that role well. Their eyes glittered with intelligence while their talons and beaks flashed in the light, razor sharp.

Rellan led Matt to a small arch with a center that rippled in the light, as though liquid hung suspended in the air. He stepped into it and vanished from sight. The drakeling blinked in surprise for a moment before stepping through as well. On the other side, he found himself in a sizeable room lined with shelves of books, scrolls, papers, and artefacts. A large desk sat beside a window, also cover in stacks of paper. Several plush chairs were scattered about, some covered in long scrolls, and he saw Rellan wave him to an open one as he settled down in another. Matt hesitated for a moment more before sinking into the soft chair. He let out a small smile at how comfortable the seat was.

"Now then," Rellan said in a steady voice, "The queen will have already scheduled you in for this afternoon, so you need not worry about that."

Matt's attention snapped from a strange, floating and swirling object on a shelf to his left and he beamed. That was infinitely faster than he had been expecting, though he supposed knowing he was coming, apparently well before hand, helped with scheduling details. Still, he had expected the queen to be as wary of meeting a drakeling as her people were. Then Matt waved that thought away; Rellan had been kind, and clearly didn't hate him. It was likely the queen would be the same way, plus he had come with a message from Lumen, which would have given him some priority.

"That's awesome!" Matt said excitedly, and then flushed in embarrassment. "Uh, I mean, I am thankful her for her kindness and grace."

Rellan chuckled, "Relax, young Matt. We understand that dragons don't put a lot of stock in fancy speech and mannerisms."

"Still, she's royalty; I should be more respectful," Matt said.

"Very good, humility and a willingness to improve are fine traits to have," Rellan said approvingly. "You are correct that addressing royalty so familiarly at your first meeting would be incredibly rude. However, she is unlikely to hold it against you, so long as your meaning is not impolite. Speaking plainly and truly will go a long way with her."

Matt nodded, "Okay, I can manage that. How do I present myself? What should I do, or not do?"

Rellan leaned forwards, "Never lie. I doubt that you would, but even the slightest lie will lose any favor she has, or will give you. Bowing to her, of course, is important. Kneel before handing the scroll from Elder Light Wyrm Lumen to her. Bow when you leave and you will be fine."

The drakeling nodded firmly. "Got it," he said. He hesitated and asked, "Do you know if the queen will agree to help me? I mean, I am a drakeling, and most of the other elves I've met hate me on sight."

The old elf leaned back and considered Matt with a thoughtful frown. "I cannot speak for the queen," he finally said. His wizened face spread into smile and he went on, "But I can promise that if she chooses not to help you, it will not be because of your birth. She is a wise and fair woman who will judge you on your actions, not your parents."

Matt relaxed and nodded. A small chiming sound echoed about the room before he could speak, though. Rellan stood up and motioned for Matt to follow. Clearly, the sound was a sign that the queen was ready to speak with him. The drakeling swallowed and stood up. He followed the Rellan through the portal again, and was surprised when they came out in an entirely different section of the palace from before. Instead, he found himself staring at a sheet of falling water. Rellan bowed to the sheet, prompting Matt to follow suit. The elf murmured a few words and the water parted to reveal a long audience hall. He straightened up again and gestured Matt through.

Matt straightened as well, and walked through the waterfall. The curtain of water fell smooth once more behind him. Ahead, was a massive room of white stone pillars supporting a golden ceiling, and a clear crystal floor. The ceiling glittered with multi colored crystals that shone with a rainbow of lights that sparkled off the gold setting and crystal floor. They were set to form symbols for the different schools of magic. At the far end of the room was a raised dais with a single throne of white stone upon it. An elven woman sat upon the throne with two birds flanking her head.

Matt walked forwards, heart thudding in his chest. Each footstep echoed throughout the room until he came to a stop at the foot of the dais. The drakeling bowed low and held it there. He swallowed his nerves and spoke in an even voice.

"Hail, Your Highness," he said, "I am Matt, son of Luthradax, son of Lumen. I have come with a message from Elder Light Wyrm Lumen."

"Rise, Young Matt," the queen said in a soft, melodic voice.

Matt straightened up and looked up at the Queen of the Grand Elves. She had pale, but luminous skin and platinum blond hair pulled across on shoulder, held back from her face by a simple golden crown. Her eyes were a clear green, the color of new grass after a rain. Her gown shimmered in the light and seemed to change colors in the light when she moved, though Matt was unable to tell if that was because of the fabric or the lights in the room.

The drakeling waited patiently as the queen made her own examination of him. Her eyes took in his bright blond hair with their warrior braids, and his clear, blue eyes. They swept to the hilt of the sword sticking out over his shoulder and a single brow rose in surprise. Matt wondered if maybe he was supposed to have left the weapon outside. The queen didn't seem upset, though; more pondering. Finally, she nodded, and Matt was relieved to see none of the familiar signs of disgust, hate, or fear in her eyes.

"I know why you have come, but before I agree to aid your quest, I would like to know about you," the queen said.

Matt blinked in surprise. He nodded his head, "I'll answer to the best of my abilities. Please forgive me if I ever come across as rude in my speech."

The queen nodded. She fixed her green eyes on him, calculating her questions for a moment. "Why has Lumen sent you, a drakeling, to speak with me?" she asked.

Matt winced, but thought back to what Rellan had told him. The queen would not judge his blood, and he must always tell the truth. "Because I asked to be the one to go," Matt admitted. "The quest was my idea."

"I see, and how did you come to that decision?" she asked.

The drakeling heisted as he thought on that. Finally, he grinned a little sheepishly, "My mother, I think. She used to always talk about a world without hatred and fear. She always claimed that the Blight began from hatred of different. I don't know if she was right about that, but it stuck with me. And the Blight has been increasing in appearance and strength, so it needs to be dealt with again."

The queen nodded, "As a drakeling, I am sure you have seen more of the world's cruelty than most. Why fight for it? Most in your situation would gladly watch the world burn."

"Because someone has to fight for it," Matt said plainly. His eyes took on a distant look as he went on, "At points in the past, I would have agreed that the world should burn. The world is cruel, unforgiving, and painful, and its creatures often reflect their host. I wanted the people who treated me poorly to suffer as much as I had."

With a frown, the queen considered him again. At first glance, Matt was a bright and friendly young man, but clearly, he had not always been so. "So do you seek revenge in this quest? Do you wish to rule others' lives as they ruled yours?" she asked in a challenging tone.

Matt shook his head, eyes coming back into focus, "No. That belief was when I was alone as a child. Alone and hunted, treated as less than the dirt I walked on. Then I was found, and I was reminded that there is also good in the world. My father, Luthradax, and my friend, Lenth; both have shown me that things can change. I want to change things for the better, for them as well as for me. More recently, I want to change things so that they are better for all."

"I've met people who deserve to be able to show what they are and not fear others' reactions. I want people to realize that half-bloods are not bad or worthless. Everyone should get a chance to be happy and free. My way to start changing things for the better is to prove that we can do good in the world as well. I realize that it will take time, probably longer than my life time. But if no one ever starts, then nothing will ever change."

"The Blight threatens that future and happiness as much as it threatens people's lives and health. It isn't just a problem for dragons, drakelings, elves, dwarves, and whatever else. It is a threat to us all, and not one that should be pushed off again. I want, no, I _need_ to stop it for everyone's sake. I believe I have the skill and strength to see this through; all I need are the tools to get me close enough to do so. Please help me."

Though Matt hadn't realized it, his voice had taken on a powerful quality. He sounded firm, confident, willing, and capable of anything that needed to be done to achieve his dream and goal. His eyes blazed with fiery passion. The queen smiled as she listened to him. She had purposefully goaded him to see how he would react, and he had responded, but in a far different way than expected. Perhaps this young drakeling was exactly what the world needed. He had seen and experienced the horrors that could be inflicted, and it had made him stronger. Those trials had granted him an empathy that was rare in the world. Before she could speak, though, the waterfall parted to allow a group to enter.

Matt, once the queen clearly decided to finish with him, knelt down and offered the scroll he had carried from Lumen. His heart pounded as he prayed she would accept and aid him. After a few tense seconds, the scroll floated out of his grasp. He kept his head bowed as the queen read the scroll. Finally, she spoke, telling him to rise.

"You have done well to come here, young Matt. We have listened to your tale and thoughts and find them true," the queen said. "I will see to quarters for you for the night as soon as I deal with my unexpected guests."

Matt felt his heart soar. He had gotten her aid. He bowed again and said, "Your offer is most kind, Your Highness, but with all due respect, I would like to leave immediately. It is a long journey, and I enjoy traveling at night."

The queen looked unsurprised by his words, "Very well then. I shall pray for the winds of the world to speed and guide your path, and the earth to grant you strength should you ever falter."

With that, she made a strange motion with her hand. Matt could feel immense light magic forming and then a small orb of light floated before him. It drifted to his pouch and vanished. Without any words, or explanation, Matt knew she had given him the artefact he needed. The drakeling bowed once more and turned to leave, finally seeing the group that had entered.

There was a contingent of royal guardsman, surrounding a single bound young woman. With a flash of surprise, Matt realized that it was the same elf he had seen the earlier in the day. As he passed, he scanned her features, trying to figure out what was different about her. A whiff of her scent made it blindingly obvious. The woman was not an elf—she was a half-elf. The features he'd noticed before, but hadn't been able to place, only further confirmed it. Her ears were shorter, her eyes were rounder, and she was much smaller in stature. She also looked distressed, but resigned. Clearly, she had been caught for some sort of crime, but he was willing to bet she wasn't the culprit.

Still, Matt walked past her without a word. He had faith that the queen would deal with her as fairly and impartially as she had him, and it wasn't his place to interfere with their politics. The waterfall parted for him, and he slipped through it. On the other side, Rellan waited for him. The old elf looked unsurprised when Matt told him he had won the queen's help. He merely smiled and guided Matt outside. There he bowed to Matt.

"It has been a true, if brief, pleasure, young Matt. Stay true to yourself and your quest. May the magicks of the world grant you fortune," Rellan murmured.

Matt bowed to him, "Thank you for your aid, Rellan. Goodbye."

With that, Matt straightened and turned away. He swiftly made his way through the nearly deserted streets. His next destination was the Fire Dragon's volcano, Fal'ratharn to the east. To get there, he knew he would have to pass through the Eastern Wood. As far as he could remember, there was a road outside the city that would take him directly there. It would be a several day journey, though. He looked forwards to it. He had earned one artefact, and he was confident that he could earn the rest.

Matt left the city and turned his eyes to the east. He nodded to himself and started walking.

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 _ **A/N:** I hope the descriptions of Arthrena, Anthenalla, and the Grand Elves were good. In related news, I was reminded that, aside from boots, hair, and fangs, Matt's appearance, particularly his clothing, was not described at all last chapter. _ (-_-;) _I promise he was not naked. I went back added some clothing description for him and the dragon council. Nude characters on epic quests are not cool.  
_

 _Next chapter, which is Natalie's intro, is done and will be up soon. On another note, it occurs to me that sometimes people hate not being able to pronounce names of fantasy names and places. Would anyone like me to add pronunciations in the author notes, or would you like me to leave that up to the readers' discretion?  
_


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N:_** _Wee hee! Another chapter! I like updating like this. It's so much less stressful. :P And I got reviews! You guys are so nice. :3 Next up is Natalie's intro, where the racism is strong. Enjoy!_

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A door flew open and a young woman with orange hair and wearing a plain red, loose tunic, and black boots was thrown out to land on the ground. She scrambled to her feet and dashed down the street and around a corner. Once there, she huddled down behind some barrels, heart pounding.

"And stay out!" a voice screamed after the fleeing woman.

The door slammed shut again and the young woman crept out. She leaned against the wall outside the alley, trying to calm herself. Idly, she listened through the open window to the voices inside, but soon wished she hadn't.

"Damn half-breed. It's here every day," a voice snarled furiously.

"Like we would ever actually consider teaching it magic," a second voice agreed, "Curse its mother for bearing such filth. And curse the laws for forcing us to deal with it for another year."

The woman listening outside grit her teeth for a few seconds before her shoulders slumped. She turned away and muttered, " _She_ has a name and it's _Natalie_ , you racist halfwits."

Natalie sighed and turned to head down the street. She barely cast a glance at the graceful stone buildings that soared high over her head. Colorful pennants on roofs and banisters fluttered in a gentle breeze. And crystal roofs and windows glittered and shone in the early evening sun. Everywhere, tall figures in graceful robes walked about. Each of them had brightly colored hair and long, pointed ears. Their faces were finely boned with slanted eyes that held an ageless look. They were the Grand Elves of the city Arthrena, home to the largest schools of magic and knowledge in the world. Each had vast amounts of magic flowing in their blood and each was granted the opportunity to learn in one of the many shining colleges of magic.

The same was not true for Natalie, however. Despite having the pointed ears and bright hair of the elves, she was shorter in stature, her ears were shorter than theirs, and her eyes were more rounded. The young woman was a half-elf and was considered less than the pure elves. Each day for as long as she could remember of her life so far, she went to the colleges and asked to be taught. Each day, she was given the same response: a toss out, mockery, and insults. Each night she found a different nook to sleep in, vowing to get into a college the next day.

"It isn't fair," Natalie muttered with clenched fists. She uncurled one hand and held it in front of her. A small flame flickered in her palm to dance around her fingers and flash different colors before being dispelled. The half-elf lowered her hand again.

"Just because dad was human doesn't mean I'm worse. I could use magic just as well as most of the pure-blood elves if they would just let me learn," she muttered.

Natalie turned a corner and grabbed an ornate carving on a wall. With a small grunt, the half-elf pulled herself off the ground and grasped another carving a little further up. Soon, she was perched beside a carven swan sculpture on a ledge high above the streets. Natalie leaned back on her hands with her legs dangling over the ledge and took a deep breath of the cool air. Her orange hair fluttered around her in the unobstructed wind above the city. Before her stretched the entirety of Arthrena; stone walls painted a deep gold in the setting sun.

In the center of the city stood the Queen's palace, Anthenalla, home of the ruler of the Grand Elves. Its walls were smooth, unbroken, white stone that legends claimed had been formed out of the earth by the first queen. Its domed center was of solid gold, embedded with a multitude of precious stones in arcane swirls that glinted in the dying light. Water gushed endlessly from all sides of the palace to flow into the clear moat that surrounded the structure and on to canals throughout the city. Natalie wistfully sighed as she gazed at it.

"Must be nice to live there, never having to worry if the place you chose to sleep is safe or where and when your next meal will be," she murmured.

Idly, she held one hand over the stone of the swan next to her. With a little focus, the stone morphed so that the neck and head were tilted back. When she pulled away, the swan looked like it was trumpeting. Natalie grinned at the change and waved her hand to shift the statue back to normal.

"One day, I'll be strong enough to make my own palace out of stone and anyone will be able to come in and feel safe," she promised herself. Her smile faltered as the memory of a scream echoed in her mind, "Well, anyone besides drakelings."

A commotion in the streets below broke Natalie away from her thoughts. She carefully leaned forwards and peered down to see the shadows of the street writhing. Immediately, the half-elf shuffled back and hid behind the swan, warily watching the scene below. She grit her teeth as screams rose up and people began to run. The panic was nearly palpable in the air. An explosion jolted the building she was sitting on as someone below attempted to destroy the shadows with magic. The screams increased with the panic as whatever the spell that had been cast collapsed part of a building and blocked the streets.

Natalie grit her teeth and stood up, muttering, "Idiots. They know the Blight can only be stopped with light magic, and they blocked the quickest way for the royal guard to help them."

The half-elf waved her hand at the wall and a chunk of stone jutted out. She stepped onto it and willed the rock to slide down. The wall reformed behind her impromptu lift until she was close enough to the ground to leap off. As Natalie rolled to her feet, she held both hands out and twin balls of light flew to hover before her. The twisting shadows given physical form jerked back from the lights. The elves panic began to die as Natalie slowly advanced. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she fought to maintain the defense. The shadows writhed and began to advance as the balls of light started to uncertainly flicker.

Finally, a few elves stepped out of the crowd and four more balls of light, far brighter and larger than Natalie's, joined in the assault. The shadows shivered and vanished under the glow. A collective sigh was heard from the crowd. Natalie lowered her hands and wiped one hand across her brow to clear away the sweat. The tramping of feet came from a side street and decorated guardsmen filed into the devastated street. Their eyes narrowed as they surveyed the devastation.

"Who was the fool who tried to use fire magic?" one called in an irritable voice.

There were murmurs and shuffling from the crowd, but no one was willing to step forward to confess. In truth, several elves had tried to use fire magic to stop the assault, but they were too embarrassed to admit it. Natalie shook her head and turned to slip away. A voice calling from the crowd had her freezing.

"It was that half-elf! I saw her try to blast the Blight with balls of fire!" a man called.

Natalie whirled with wide, indignant eyes and her mouth opened to object only to be drowned out by other voices.

"Her lack of control probably called it here!" "More likely she called it here on purpose!" "It was her fault!" "Arrest her!"

The guards turned to the shocked young woman with matching looks of disdain. One stepped forward and waved his hand. Smoke shot out to twist around Natalie's wrists and hold them together. With another wave, the half-elf was jerked forward to follow behind them.

"I didn't do anything of the sort! I used light magic to hold it off!" Natalie protested.

"Silence, filth," a guard snapped.

Natalie felt tears form in her eyes, "But it's true! I was trying to help! Besides, I've never lost control of my magic even once in my entire life!"

The guard leading her jerked her off balance, "Silence, or we will make you be silent!"

The half-elf's mouth snapped shut and she meekly followed the guards. She silently followed them through the streets where elves paused to jeer at her. Some threw small objects and weak spells that the guards did nothing to stop or block; not that Natalie had expected them to. Soon, they were climbing the steps to the palace where they came to a halt before a solid white stone wall.

"Open the way, we must speak with the queen!" the guard captain called.

There was a pause, and then the wall shimmered and vanished. The guards tugged Natalie through and the wall formed behind them. She was guided down various halls of with crystal floors and arches. Balls of glowing magic hovered everywhere to light the way, reflecting off the crystal. Live birds with glowing white plumage were perched here and there, watching the procession with intelligent blue eyes. Natalie was awestruck by the surroundings, despite being a prisoner and likely on her way to be executed. They came to a halt before a curtain of water. The guards knelt before it and murmured an incantation in an ancient language. The curtain parted and the group walked through. A long audience chamber stretched before them.

The queen of the Grand Elves was seated on a throne of white stone with two large birds perched on either side of her head. One bird had shining silver feathers and clear, emerald-green eyes. The other had shining golden feathers and clear, ruby-red eyes. Their tails were long and the plumage glinted in the light. Both bird's talons and beaks were sharp and matched their plumage. They watched the group of guards and the half-elf with ancient and wise eyes.

The queen herself had blonde hair so pale it was almost silver. The strands were held back from her face with a simple, yet elegant golden band, though a few locks loose to frame her pale face. She wore a long and simple gown of some material that shimmered in the light. Her clear, green eyes briefly flickered up to acknowledge the guards and their prisoner before shifting back to the young man who knelt before her.

Whoever the man was, he had obviously just finished speaking. He bowed his head to the queen, and held out a scroll. The queen made no motion, but the scroll floated from his grasp to unroll in front of her. She scanned the lines with a small frown on her face before nodding. She waved for the man to rise and addressed him. Her voice was smooth and lilting and she didn't seem to raise her voice, despite it being heard around the room.

"You have done well to come here, young Matt. We have listened to your tale and thoughts and find them true. The elves will aid you," the queen said. She and her birds turned their gazes to the guards patiently waiting nearby, "I will see to quarters for the night as soon as I deal with my unexpected guests."

Matt bowed again and said, "Your offer is most kind, Your Highness, but with all due respect, I would like to leave immediately. It is a long journey, and I enjoy traveling at night."

The queen gave a regal nod, "Very well then. I shall pray for the winds of the world to speed and guide your path, and the earth to grant you strength should you ever falter." She made a twisting motion with her hand and a small orb of light drifted towards Matt. It sank into a pouch at his waist and vanished.

Matt turned to leave. He cast a curious look at Natalie surrounded by guards and his nostrils flared, but he said nothing. Soon, the young man was gone.

The guards bowed and pressed Natalie to kneel on the ground with her face touching the floor. The half-elf did as they pressured with sinking heart, but no complaint. Her hair fell away from her neck to across her shoulder. Natalie felt as though she was being laid out for an execution, her neck bared for the drop of an axe. She listened in despair as the guards explained the Blight attack earlier. They described the devastation of the street and the accusations of the citizens, taking care to paint it in the worst light possible for the half-elf. Finally they fell silent and awaited the queen judgement. Natalie felt tears burn in her eyes, but refused to let them fall or to plead for mercy.

"And what does the accused have to say?" the queen finally asked. She watched with a steady gaze as the silent young woman on the floor stiffened with surprise at the request. "Let her rise," the queen commanded when the guards held Natalie down.

Natalie stood up with every muscle trembling. She took care to not look the queen in the eye as she quietly explained what had happened and her own involvement in the mess. Silence reigned as the half-elf finished speaking. The queen leaned back and folded her hands in her lap.

"You say you were on the roof above the attack and came down to help after people tried to use non-light magic on the Blight? How did you get down so quickly?" the queen asked.

A guard spoke up, "It's impossible; the building she speaks of was several stories high. She must be lying."

The queen cast a brief glance at the guard with a raised brow and nodded when he mumbled an apology for interrupting and fell silent.

Natalie shifted and said, "I used magic to get down."

The queen leaned forward, "Correct me if I am wrong, but you are a half-elf, are you not?"

"Yes, milady," Natalie mumbled.

"So you would never have had proper schooling in the arts, correct? Certainly not enough to gather wind to guide you down," the queen went on.

Natalie shook her head and whispered, "That's right. But, I didn't use wind, milady. I used earth."

There was a moment of silence before the queen murmured, "Earth, you say; how so?"

"I… commanded the stone of the building to lower me down," Natalie admitted in a quiet voice.

A guard scoffed, "Impossible. Stone charming has been lost to the elves for generations."

Natalie's head snapped up, finally meeting the queen's eyes, "I'm not lying, I swear!"

The queen eyed the terrified half-elf and gestured to one of her birds, "Do you know this species, young Natalie?"

Natalie started at the non-sequitur and glanced at the twin birds of silver and gold. The two birds stared back, unblinking and still. They seemed to be judging her, their eyes sharp, though not hostile. It was slightly disconcerting, as they seemed to know what she thought. Natalie shook her head, "No, milady."

The queen nodded, "I did not think you would. They are Sylla, Birds of Truth. If you had lied, and managed to fool me, they would have alerted me to the lie. I know you have spoken the truth the entire time."

She smiled as the guards gaped in disbelief and Natalie slumped with a relieved sigh. The queen leaned forward and laced her fingers to rest her chin on, "However, just because you have spoken truly does not mean that you can charm stone. You may believe that is the case, but it could be something else. May I see a demonstration?"

Natalie hesitated and glanced around. "I-I guess, yes? I've never tried to change crystal, though," she said hesitantly.

"No matter, if you are a true stone charmer, then it should not matter what your material," the queen said.

The half-elf swallowed and knelt down to hold one hand over the floor. There were a few seconds of silence and then gasps rang out. Natalie slowly coaxed a small twirl of crystal to wind from the floor, following her hand up. She stopped and pulled her hand away with sweat glistening on her brow.

"Amazing," the queen breathed, awe clear in her voice. Her green eyes swept over the small glistening swirl and up to the half-elf that had done it. "You are the first of elven blood to be a true stone charmer in tens of thousands of years," she murmured.

Natalie blushed and mumbled, "I… it just works for me. I can do other magic, too, but this has always been my favorite." She waved a hand at the crystal twirl and it sank back into the floor.

The queen released a surprised huff and leaned back, "Of course, you can use light magic as well. Are there any others?"

"Um, fire, lightning, ice, wind, oh, and healing, too," Natalie whispered. She shook her head, "I'm not very good with any of them, though. The colleges refuse to teach me, so..."

The guards all snorted. One spoke in a disparaging tone, "And with good reason. What if you lost control? The less magic you can wield the better, in that case. We should not be giving such uncontrollable creatures any more power than absolutely necessary."

The queen shot to her feet and her guards froze. Her eyes blazed with fury as she snapped, "I have told you all before: I will not tolerate such baseless drivel in my halls! All creatures born with magic gifted to them have much at their birth. They can gain more, but the only risk of loss of control comes from improper teachings and misuse. Your comments and beliefs only create the threat you fear. By refusing to teach those who can use magic to wield it properly and then tormenting them, you set the conditions for loss of control."

Natalie's jaw dropped. She had heard of the queen's defense of half-elves, but she had never realized how deeply the queen believed it. The half-elf snapped her mouth shut when the queen turned a considering gaze on her.

"I grant you a boon, young Natalie, for saving the dozens of people you did today," the queen announced. She eyed the young woman for a moment longer, and then stepped forward.

Natalie fell to her knees in a low bow, waiting for the queen to speak. The elf stood over the bowing half-elf for a few moments before speaking. Her words were strange and shook with power. Natalie felt something inside her shake in response to the magic being cast above her. The words came more rapidly and were louder, echoing around the room so that it seemed that dozens of speakers were casting. Suddenly, the queen stopped speaking. Despite knowing that it was silent, Natalie could hear whispers in the room, though no one was speaking. The whispered words were gentle and strange, wild and powerful.

"I grant you the gift of understanding. You will now hear the voices of the world as clearly as any elf, and they will aid you. Let them guide you in your learning, Natalie," the queen announced. She smiled as Natalie shot upright to stare up at her.

Natalie stared for a few moments longer, listening to the faint whispers of magic in the air. Her face split into a smile and she bowed again. "Thank you, milady; thank you," the half-elf said in an ecstatic voice.

The queen nodded and turned to sit back down. She waved for her guards to be dismissed and frowned at the faint mutterings of discontent. She waited until they were gone before speaking again, "You are most welcome. Thank you for defending my people; people who would have sooner seen you dead than to spare you a kind word. You possess a strength of heart that all should endeavor to achieve. However, now we have a problem." The queen gazed into the distance in thought.

She turned her eyes to the distracted half-elf still before her who was still listening to the whispers of magic. To the queen's ancient and trained eyes, she could see threads of magic twisting around the young half-elf.

The queen sighed and said, "Natalie, I must ask you to go on a journey." Natalie's face jerked up and around to silently stare her, but the queen held up a hand to halt any questions, "I ask this for two reasons. One, I can see the magicks of the world trembling at your presence. I believe that you will grow to be one of the greatest mages of us all. Two, you will not be safe here anymore; at least, not for a while. The people fear half-elves, as I am sure you know, and they will fear you most of all for your new gift. Despite my efforts to gain some equality for them, people resist change; more so when they live for hundreds of years."

Natalie swallowed and a gleam of fear was in her eyes as she whispered, "But where should I go? I've never been outside of Arthrena before."

"Of course," the queen agreed with a nod. She turned her gaze past Natalie, "Would you agree to follow the young half-blood who was here before? He wishes to destroy the Blight at its source using ancient artifacts from each major tribe. Your magic could aid him greatly, and the experience of travel will hasten your growth."

Natalie swallowed, "Stop the Blight? Is that even possible?"

The queen nodded, "The Elder Light Wyrm believes so. He sent Matt here to attempt to do just that. Will you aid him?"

The half-elf hesitated as she thought on the request. Her face set in determination, "You're right that I can't stay here safely; not until the people calm down. And if my magic can help destroy the Blight for good, then I would be honored to help."

"Very well then, you should leave as soon as we are finished speaking. I will notify the guardsmen to allow you to pass," the queen said with a nod and a smile. "Once you leave the gates of the city, follow the path of the rising sun to the east. Tell Matt I sent you to help him when you find him. Take these to aid you in your journey."

The queen raised both hands and a long staff of gleaming crystal appeared in front of her. The staff drifted to Natalie who accepted it with a look of awe. Second, she received a belt with a small pouch and a cloak for traveling. The young mage strapped the belt to her waist threw the cloak around her shoulders. She gripped the staff and looked up at the queen with a look of determination.

The queen nodded gravely to her, "Take care on your journey, young Natalie. The world beyond the cities walls is as cruel to half-bloods as it is within. No matter what they may say to you, no matter what they do, always remember that you are a proud daughter of Arthrena, and the city is blessed to call you her own. Your quest will be long and fraught with danger, but I know you will prevail. May the spirits of the world guide your spells and grant you strength when you falter. Farewell, I pray your actions will save us all."

Natalie bowed low before straightening and turning to leave. The golden Sylla swooped off of its perch beside the queen and brushed past Natalie's face. It hovered expectantly at the wall of water covering the way out of the audience chamber. It led the young half-elf through the peaceful and beautiful halls of the palace. The bird landed on the floor beside the exit and bowed to the mage. Natalie bowed back, and thanked the Sylla for its guidance. She turned to the now-dark, sleeping city and squared her shoulders.

With a firm nod, Natalie swiftly walked away from the palace and through the streets, heading for the eastern gate. The guards sniffed at her when she approached them, but opened the way with no fuss. The half-elf heard their muttered remarks of hoping she would die horribly, but ignored them. She set her eyes on the east and began walking. She would find Matt and explain her case and together they would stop the Blight.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _I like the queen, she's cool. :) Next up is Matt and Natalie meeting. Let me know what you think of this chapter, and I'll be back when the next one is done!_


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N:_** _So I should probably mention that Matt is smarter in this story than he normally is. xD He'll still have his moments of stupidity and obliviousness, but overall he will be intelligent. Now then, onto the meeting chapter!_

* * *

Natalie made swift progress down the road. As she walked, she listened to the soft whispers of magic around her. She frowned and wondered if there was any way to tone it down. The voices were soft, little more than whispers, but they were distracting. And distractions were not a good thing to have when traveling alone on a road at night.

The half-elf sighed and peered ahead of her, down the trail. It was very dark, and she suddenly wondered if this Matt guy had already stopped for the night. He'd said he liked to travel at night, but surely he had to sleep at some point? She hoped so, anyway, or she'd never catch up to him. Natalie stopped and let out a sigh. The queen had said he was headed east, but Natalie didn't know where exactly he was going.

The soft whispers pushed more insistently on her senses. Natalie had half a mind to bellow at them to shut up, but decided that would be unproductive. Then, a thought occurred to her. Matt was a half creature of some sort, which meant he likely had a mana signature. If she could track that, she could find him. The magic seemed to hum approvingly and suddenly, Natalie remembered the queen's words to let it guide her in her learning. The half-elf flushed in embarrassment. Every elf and half-elf knew that, to some extent, mana was sentient. It had likely sensed her frustration and had been trying to help her.

Natalie shut her eyes and focused on what she could remember of Matt's aura in the brief moment when he passed her. It had been warm, soft, almost, but had fierce edge, and it had felt bright. Her eyes snapped open as she realized he must be a light creature. It made sense, now that she thought about it. Few others could hope to challenge the blight and survive. Regardless, now that she had an idea of what to feel for, she could begin trying to find him, and hope he didn't know how to hide himself.

Natalie sent small wisps of mana out in a thin wave. It was a trick she'd used to avoid bigots in the streets, and was really only good for a few yards, but it would help her make sure she didn't miss Matt on the side of the road. She was startled when she felt outside mana coming to her aid. It spread her level of awareness out further, and it was staggering just how much more powerful her mana felt. However, the half-elf could feel her supply of mana draining rapidly, and could feel how fine her threads of control over it were. She made a mental note to be careful of overextending herself until she had a little more endurance for magic, as well as more control.

Suddenly, she felt a flash of light magic further ahead of her. Natalie released her detection magic and took a deep breath. She was slightly dizzy, but other than that, she felt fine; a little giddy for her new power and skill, but tired. She sent a small prayer of thanks to the magic around her for its aid and felt a pleased hum in return. Nodding to herself, she started jogging. Matt was only a little ways ahead of her, which meant she could catch up to him before the night was out.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt jerked up from where he was resting against a rock and shot an uneasy look around him. It had only been for a brief moment, but he was sure he'd felt some rather powerful mana sweep over the clearing. His blue eyes carefully picked out every individual detail of the landscape around him. Something was out there, and he wasn't sure if it was tracking him or not. Still, he supposed it was better to be safe than sorry, and stood up with a sigh. The drakeling turned and headed off the trail a little ways before continuing to walk.

A few hours later and Matt felt another pulse of mana, closer than before and frowned. Whatever it was, it was getting close, and he had to assume it was following him. Luckily, he was now in a place where he could ambush whatever it was. The trail had led him to a copse of trees and he scrambled up one. His hand hovered over the hilt of the sword over his shoulder as he heard the rhythmic tapping of someone jogging. He began to piece together an idea of who his opponent was.

They were light weight, could use mana, and were fairly fast. However, they were also stupid. If they were tracking him—and he doubted it was for anything good—they wouldn't be so noisy. He heard panting breaths and a second later a small shape came jogging past beneath the tree he sat in. It was a young woman, he realized. Still, he shrugged the thought off and dropped down behind her. She stiffened and began to turn around, but froze as his sword came to rest at her neck. Matt could smell her fear rise, and frowned as he realized the scent was familiar.

 **OOOOOO**

Natalie swallowed heavily as she felt whoever held the sword to her throat tense. This was a bad situation, and one she wasn't sure she could get out of. She began to pull up some magic, but stopped when the sword pressed a little tighter against her neck, not quite breaking the skin, but getting close. Suddenly she heard a grunt before a voice spoke.

"You're the half-elf guards brought in," a man behind her said with a note of surprise in his voice.

The half-elf would have slumped with relief if the action wouldn't slit her throat. She carefully whispered, "The queen sent me to find you."

To her relief, the sword pulled away from her neck. Natalie reached a hand up to rub the tingling skin on her neck and turned around. It was too dark under the trees and at night to get a good look of the expression on Matt's face. Still, she got the feeling he was confused. Several long moments passed in silence.

"The queen sent you to find me?" Matt finally asked, sounding skeptical. "Why'd she do that?"

Natalie squinted, trying to see his face, "She told me to help you in your quest to stop the Blight."

Unseen to the half-elf, Matt arched a brow. His eyes swept over the young woman in front of him. She wore a light traveling cloak and had a belt around her waist over a simple tunic of some color he couldn't discern at night. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, holding it away from her face. She was shorter than him by almost an entire head, carried a staff across her back, and, by the way she held herself and was armed, had no experience with fighting. Matt let out a sigh of aggravation. He saw the half-elf flinch.

"Look, I don't think your coming along is a good idea," Matt said flatly.

Natalie's eyes widened, "Why not?"

Matt closed his eyes in frustration. "Have you ever been in real combat before? Traveled rough and had to hunt for your food? Been in any seriously-life threatening situations with creatures who want you dead and are trying to accomplish just that?" he asked in the same flat tone.

Natalie flinched, "Uh, well, no, not yet."

Matt grunted, "Didn't think so. I have enough to worry about already without having to look out for you, too. Go back to Arthrena where you're safe." He brushed past the half-elf, intending to keep walking. Her hand caught his sleeve.

"Maybe I don't have experience, but I can get it, and I do have magic," she said quietly.

Matt shot her a look. "So do I, you still have to know how to use it, though," he said, clearly not all that impressed. "Go home."

Natalie felt her heart sink, "I can't go back home, Matt."

"And the bad news keeps building," Matt grumbled under his breath. He raised his voice and asked in a resigned tone, "Why not? Is this about whatever you were in trouble for?"

"First off, I don't have one anymore," Natalie said in an angry voice. "Second, if I go back to Arthrena now, I'll likely get lynched. They don't like half-elves and after the gift I received from the queen, they'll like me even less."

Matt threw his hands in the air, "Fine! You can come along for now, but only until it's safe for you to go back."

Natalie flinched at the sudden flare of irritation and shrank back from him. To her confusion, Matt also seemed to flinch. There was an awkward moment of silence and then Matt blew out a sigh. He lifted a hand and a small ball of light appeared in his palm, illuminating the road and trees. He watched Natalie for a few moments, then sheathed his sword, and held out his hand.

"We're off to a bad start. Let's try this again," he said. "Hi, my name's Matt, pleased to meet you."

Natalie hesitantly grasped his palm, "Natalie, nice to meet you, too?"

Matt grinned, "Sorry for snapping at you. You woke me up with your magic earlier, and I'm really tired now."

His smile faded some as he saw Natalie eyeing his fangs with a confused look. Her eyes dropped to his hand and saw his claws. She smiled suddenly and grinned up at him.

"And here I was thinking you were some kind of nocturnal creature like a bat, what with your apparent love of night travel," she said lightly in an amused voice. "What are you, if you don't mind my asking?"

Matt hesitated for a brief moment. He didn't know Natalie at all, and while she seemed nice, it wasn't a guarantee. Finally he shrugged, "Dunno, never met my dad. Now then, let's get some sleep. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted." He turned away, and walked a little ways into the trees where he settled down against one with his sword across his lap.

Natalie watched him with confusion. She wondered why he seemed so eager to change the subject. She supposed he was uncomfortable with not knowing one of his parents. The half-elf shrugged and picked a tree a little ways away from him and sat down. She tugged her cloak a little tighter about her shoulders and hunched down. The light Matt had been maintaining flickered out, and his breathing evened off into sleep, and she soon followed.

Unbeknownst to Natalie, Matt was wide awake still. As soon as he heard the half-elf fall asleep, he sat up again and looked at her. He frowned in contemplation as he considered leaving her here and continuing on. It would be easy to slip off undetected, and he was reasonably sure he could get far enough away that her magic wouldn't find him. With a silent sigh, he discarded the idea. She was alone, had nowhere and no-one to turn to, and no travel experience. The drakeling mentally grumbled to himself for being a nice guy, and leaned back against the tree again.

Still, his eyes remained open and on Natalie, weighing the pros and cons of his unexpected teammate. Having a mage along to help would certainly be useful—especially if she knew how to heal—and he doubted the queen would have sent someone who would be completely helpless and hopeless. On top of that, a traveling companion would help keep his own spirits up. On the downside, she was a fresh face to combat and travel, and likely would take a while to adjust to it. Plus, if he wanted to hide his drakeling identity, he would need to limit what skills and talents he had to non-dragon-specific ones.

Matt blew a sigh out through his nose; Natalie was here now, and he had already decided she could stay. The drakeling began sorting through what abilities he had to not use around Natalie. Fire breath was right out, as were any high-level translations. He couldn't really do anything about the accelerated healing inherent to all light dragons, but that could be explained away as an unknown talent. He'd also have to be wary of what he said, and how he greeted people. The drakeling scowled and resigned himself to fairly sever limitations, unless the skills were direly needed.

And yet, he was also secretly hopeful that maybe Natalie could possibly become a friend to him. As another half-creature, she was less likely to remain hostile towards him after a little time traveling. Perhaps someday he could even tell her that he was a drakeling and she would realize that drakelings weren't inherently abominations. He nodded to himself; if he wanted to achieve that as a goal, he would start by helping Natalie with her light and healing magic. That would likely endear him to her, and show he was an intelligent creature, not a mindless monster seconds away from brutally dismembering her.

Finally, Matt closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 **OOOOOO**

Natalie woke early the next morning as she usually did. For a moment, she was puzzled at the sight of trees overhead. The only trees in Arthrena were in the parks, and she never slept in the parks. That was when the memories of the night before came rushing back. The half-elf jolted up and spotted Matt sitting a short distance away. The blond was already awake and eating what looked like a sandwich. He nodded to her as he took another bite. Natalie's stomach growled and reminded her that she hadn't eaten since noon the day before.

Matt heard the low grumble of Natalie's stomach and held out the other half of the sandwich Lena had given him. The half-elf hesitated for a long moment, clearly feeling guilty about taking his food. Matt merely waved the sandwich slightly, and she caved. He grinned at her as he fit the last piece of his half into his mouth. Natalie made a small sound of appreciation as she ate. She swallowed the last of her food and smiled at the drakeling.

"Thanks, Matt, it was really good," she said. Her smile turned sheepish and she admitted, "I didn't think to pack food."

Matt shrugged and stood up, "No problem. I doubt any of the elves in the city would have given you any, and you must have left quickly to catch up to me."

Natalie nodded, "Both of those points are true." She stood up as well and followed Matt back to the path.

They broke out of the copse of trees, still headed east. There was a light mist that had yet to be burned away by the early morning sun. A light, cool breeze rustled the grass and plants around the pair and birds sang in the grass. Natalie took a deep breath of the morning air and wondered at the strange scent of it. It was different from the air of Arthrena, which had always smelled faintly of herbs and perfumes. Matt was silent in front of her, and Natalie realized something else.

"I half expected you to run off while I slept," Natalie said conversationally.

Matt chuckled, "I considered it, I admit. Still, I can hardly let you wander around alone with nowhere to go if you get hurt. Besides, having a mage around will be helpful." He glanced over his shoulder and asked, "So how much magic do you know and can use?"

Natalie hesitated for a moment, not wanting to admit how little she really knew. Finally, she heaved a sigh and said, "A fair bit for a self-taught half-elf, but nowhere near as much as a proper elf."

Matt slowed down to fall in step beside Natalie. He gave her a reassuring smile and said, "You're just as much an elf as the rest of them. You have better views, I'll bet, too; half-creatures usually do. So what can you cast?"

The half-elf flushed at the praise and mumbled, "For attacking: small blasts of fire, lightning, ice, and wind—though my range was always pretty short before. For non-attacking magic, I can do that detection spell I used to find you, a weak shield, small balls of light, and very simple healing."

Matt shot her an impressed glance, "That's really good for no teacher. I can help with your light and healing magic, if you want."

"You'd do that?" Natalie asked excitedly.

"Sure," Matt said with a shrug. "Not sure how good of a teacher I'll be, but I can do pretty advanced light and healing. Since you already know the basics, I'm sure it won't take too long to learn. I can't help with the other stuff, though."

Natalie shook her head, "I got a gift from the queen that will aid my learning, but having an actual teacher will be super helpful. A lot of techniques can be used in all the elements of magic."

"Gift you got from the queen?" Matt asked. "You mentioned last night that the queen gifted you something that made it impossible for you to stay. What was it?"

Natalie puffed up with pride, "I can hear the magic around me as well as a full-blooded elf." She grinned at Matt's look of amazement and said, "It can help me figure out what I can or can't do, nudge me in the right direction, and boost the power of my magic, but it can be hard to… understand. It doesn't speak so much as give me a subtle feeling; kind of like playing warmer-colder until I get it right."

Matt nodded his understanding, "I see. I imagine it can be hard to control, too."

The half-elf nodded, "Yes, very. I was unprepared for how much stronger my magic would be last night when I used it to track you. It used to be that spell only went a yard or two in a radius around me, but you were at least a mile away." She shook the thought off and smiled up at Matt eagerly, "So what's my first lesson in light magic? Or healing, if you want to do that first?"

Matt grinned, "We'll start with light magic because healing takes a little of an in-depth explanation."

The next several hours were filled with the sounds of their chatter. Matt had Natalie demonstrate her abilities so he could see where she was at. With the added aid of outside mana, Natalie could sustain her orbs of light for far longer and at a greater range from her body. Matt watched her carefully, though what he was actually doing was sensing how here light mana flowed. He nodded to himself and gave her a few pointers.

After a while, Natalie could successfully blast an area with a small bolt of light, though only if she used her staff. She was eager to keep going, but to her disappointment, Matt shook his head with a firm _no_. When Natalie began to protest, Matt merely said she was getting pale. Natalie pulled her complaint up short with a startled look. She hadn't noticed how tired she was getting. With a sigh, the half-elf nodded and they walked in silence for a little while.

Matt suddenly froze and his hand shot to his sword's hilt. His eyes scanned the surrounding grass and he cursed under his breath. He'd been so absorbed with teaching Natalie that he'd neglected to keep a careful watch on his surroundings. Now, he could sense several monsters on either side of himself and Natalie. The scent told him they were Krawl—weak, slug-like creatures that worked in groups to take down larger prey. The drakeling inched closer to the half-elf.

Natalie went on alert as soon as Matt had reached for his weapon. She nervously glanced around her and her grip on her staff tightened. "What's out there?" she whispered.

"There are five, no wait, six Krawl on either side of us," Matt whispered back. He explained further when Natalie made a sound of confusion, "They tend to hunt in groups, but aren't very dangerous. They're weak to fire and physical attacks. Don't let them touch you, though; their slime is acidic."

The half-elf relaxed at his calm tone and helpful description. She glanced at the blond beside her and was taken aback by the grin on his face. Obviously, Matt liked combat. She put the thought out of her mind when he flung a narrow bolt of light into the grass in front of him. Instantly, there were a string of hisses from all around. Three brown slug-things, reaching to just below her knees with frills on their backs slipped out of the grass. They had slimy bodies that were a muddy brown with orange stripes running alongside either sides of their frills. Two stalks supported solid black eyes.

Matt leapt at the one nearest him with a call for Natalie to handle the ones on the other side of the grass, and sliced the monster in half. Green blood oozed out of the two halves, but he didn't even lance at the corpse as he lunged at the next one. From behind him, he heard more hisses and a small crackle of fire. One of the hisses rose in pitch before dying out; an acrid stench filled the air and Matt scrunched up his nose against it. He swiped at the third and last Krawl in front of him and heard another one die to Natalie's magic.

Then, there was a sharp cry of pain and Matt whipped around to see the final Krawl had splattered some of the acid slime from its body onto the mage's arm. Matt flung a powerful bolt of magic at the monster and hurried to where Natalie had let go of her staff to grip her arm. The drakeling _tsked_ at the dropping of her weapon, but reached to draw her arm out to check.

Natalie whimpered at the pain in her arm as Matt inspected the wound. Her skin had blistered almost immediately from the acid in irregular patches. The blond glanced up at her with a reassuring smile and loosely gripped her wrist. A soft, golden glow surrounded his hands and Natalie's eyes widened as the glow traveled up her arm to engulf her wounds. Instantly, the pain vanished and the blistered skin smoothed. Matt released her wrist and gently brushed the skin to check for tenderness.

"There, all better," he said cheerfully.

Natalie nodded, "Thank you. I'm sorry for messing up; I forgot to keep an eye on the last Krawl."

Matt shrugged, "Frankly, I expected a bit more panicking than you displayed. Well done with the other two." He picked her staff up from the ground and handed it back to her. His eyes held a light of disapproval as he said, "Never drop your weapon in the field, no matter how safe you think you are or how much some wound hurts. Your enemies won't wait for you to nurse an injury, trust me."

The half-elf flushed at the mild rebuke as she accepted her weapon. "Of course," she mumbled. "I'll do better next time."

"Good, keep improving and you'll be a mighty mage in no time," Matt said, back to grinning. "You're already doing better than I thought."

Natalie's face brightened and she fell into step beside Matt as he turned to keep walking. As they walked, the half-elf wondered about her traveling companion. The blond had been pretty clear about his disapproval of her, the night before. And yet, now he was teaching, healing, and encouraging her. He could easily have pointed out how poorly she had done in that fight, and would have been justified in his criticism, but he hadn't. Instead, he had praised what she had accomplished, and given her advice. Finally, she gave up trying to figure out his attitude shift. It was nice to be around someone who was willing to teach her and treated her as a person.

Matt kept half his attention on their surroundings, wanting to avoid another case where they would be surrounded. The other half of his attention was focused on Natalie. The half-elf had done amazingly well for her first, real combat. The situation had been a surprise attack with multiple foes that she had never seen before. And instead of cowering or screaming, she had kept a level head and taken down two of the monsters. Granted that she lost track of the last of her opponents and taken a hit, but keeping track of multiple attackers while focusing magic to fight was a difficult skill. And she hadn't been too vocal about her pain past the initial strike. The battle had been an excellent showing of her potential. Matt nodded to himself and stopped walking.

"Why're we stopping?" Natalie asked.

Matt grinned at her, "A couple of reasons. First, it's late enough to eat now. Second, I want to get started on your healing magic."

Natalie nodded, "Okay, what's for lunch?"

"Dunno, depends on what I can find," Matt said with a shrug. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him and he frowned. "I don't suppose you know how to cook, do you?"

"Not well, no. I haven't had much opportunity to cook in recent years," Natalie said.

Matt nodded thoughtfully, "But if I brought you some meat, could you cook it well enough for it to be safe for you to eat?"

Natalie hesitated, and then shrugged, "I think so. How did you eat meat before now, or did you always buy your supplies?"

Matt grinned, his fangs glinting in the sunlight, "I ate it raw. I doubt that works for half-elves, though."

"Yuck, and, no, it doesn't," Natalie said with a shudder. "Bring some meat back, and I'll try my hand at cooking it. In the meantime, I'll handle the fire."

"Sounds good; I'll be back soon," Matt agreed.

The drakeling slipped off to find some kind of prey, while Natalie cleared a large circle for a fire. She looked around for any easy supply of wood, but spotted none. She let out a sigh, eyes drifting to the empty pit. Then, she cocked her head as an idea occurred to her. She focused on the center of the pit and pointed at it. Flames burst into life and flickered there with no material to burn. Natalie felt a small drain on her mana, but it was inconsequential; she figured she could maintain a stationary flame for several hours.

At that moment, Matt came back into sight with two large fowl of some kind dangling from his hand. His eyebrows shot up at the sight of a campfire with no wood. "How'd you manage that?" he asked, bemused.

Natalie grinned, "My mana. I need to work on building up my stamina and control with magic, and sustaining a campfire will be a good way to do that. If you could clean those birds and find something to skewer them on, I'll try cooking them. You can eat yours raw, if you want, though."

Matt chuckled, "No offense, but I think I will until we know if you can cook food without burning it. I saw a dead tree while I was out, be back in a minute with the wood for skewers."

About fifteen minutes later, Matt came back with one plucked and cleaned bird, and a few carefully sharpened branches. He passed the branches to Natalie and at her behest, sliced strips of bird off to stick on the skewers. Natalie wedged the branches into the ground, angled over the flames, and sat back to wait. Soon, the delicious smell of cooking meat filled the air. Natalie carefully watched the juices dripping from the meat, waiting for them to run clear, rather than red. Once they did, she pulled one skewer out of the ground and blew on it to cool it. She carefully tasted the meat and decided it was cooked enough. She moved the other pieces of meat away from the fire and sat back to eat.

"Smells good," Matt commented, just barely restraining from drooling.

Natalie shot him an amused look, "You had yours; this is mine."

Matt pouted, "Just one bite?" He grinned when Natalie rolled her eyes with a laugh and passed him another skewer. "Yay! Thank you!" he cheered. The whole chunk of meat was devoured in one bit. "You're right, this is good," Matt mumbled around the food in his mouth.

Natalie laughed again and finished off the rest of the meat. They tossed the sticks into the magic fire and watched them burn before Natalie released the flames. She let out a soft sigh at the relief, and then turned her eyes on Matt.

"Teach me proper healing," she requested eagerly. "I can only heal small cuts."

Matt nodded and tilted his head in thought for a moment. He thought back to when Luthradax had been teaching him, and later when Lenth had helped him improve. Finally, the drakeling nodded and began to scratch a diagram in the dirt. He drew three straight lines and began to talk.

"Okay, so let's pretend the lines represent skin, muscle and bone," he started. He rubbed the pad of his finger across the lines to erase part of them, "We'll pretend this is where some kind of injury happened. A break, a gash, maybe a burn, it doesn't really matter."

Natalie blinked in surprise, "It doesn't? You don't need to set the bone or whatever?"

"Nope, that's the beauty of healing magic," Matt said with a grin. "Conventional medicine would demand that, yes, but magic doesn't. I'm a little surprised you know about setting bones, though. Most don't even think of that when healing is discussed."

Natalie's face tightened. "My father was a healer before he died," she said in a flat voice. She shook her head and changed the topic back to the lesson, "So we have a wound, how is mana used to heal it?"

Matt eyed her for a moment, before he let the topic go for later discussion. He scratched a cross hatch into the dirt where the break in the lines was. "You have to weave your mana into the mana surrounding the injury with a perfect balance. Your mana needs to coat the affected area and act as both a kind of invisible bandage and healing salve," he explained. He glanced up again with a serious look and said, "This sound very simple, but it can be very difficult, even dangerous, in practice. Mana, as you know, can be volatile; that includes the mana of your target. Your own injuries will be far easier to heal than someone else's injuries for that same reason. However, as a half-elf with the ability to listen to mana, you'll likely have an easier time accomplishing the weave."

Natalie cocked her head, "I think I get it. What happens if I screw up healing a wound? How bad would that be?"

Matt's face was serious as he said, "It depends on the severity of the wound, who you're trying to heal, and whether the person you're healing wants the aid. If you screwed up on yourself, one of two things can happen. Too little mana with an improper weave, and, obviously, the wound doesn't heal; if it's bad enough, you'll die from the wound as though no healing happened at all. There really aren't any repercussions beyond that. The real danger is always too much mana. You could quite literally begin corrode your own flesh and bone. It is a horrific and incredibly painful way to go."

Natalie shivered, "Is there any way to stop that once it starts?"

Matt nodded, "Yes. If there is someone nearby who can use healing magic well enough, they can draw some of the excess mana from the afflicted body into themselves, halting the process. The damage after that can most likely be repaired with enough skill."

The half-elf released a sigh of relief and asked, "What about for healing others?"

"The major thing to keep in mind is whether they are willing to let you heal them, or not. If they aren't, their own mana acts as a sort of defensive barrier until they pass out or die. Some creatures, particularly light ones, can even maintain that defense even when unconscious, though," Matt explained. He shrugged and went on, "In the second case where the person allows the healing, it's exactly like what can happen if you screw up on yourself; nothing, or a painful death."

Natalie gulped and nodded. She looked uncertain about continuing the lesson. Healing was a lot more dangerous than she had ever thought. Matt spotted her reluctance and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Hey, I'm a very skilled healer, and a light creature," he said gently. "I'll be able to tell if you're screwing up long before it hits any kind of danger point. These dangers are really only for beginners to worry about. After you get the hang of healing, you can swiftly and easily heal entire groups of people with no worries at all. It becomes a second nature, and your mana will respond accordingly. And once you hit that point, you have to want to cause the problems, and then force it to be so, before they happen."

Natalie relaxed with a heavy sigh. She nodded, "Okay, then. So do I make a cut on myself and try to heal it?"

Matt nodded, "That's the easiest way; nothing too deep, obviously, just a little deeper than a paper cut. For you, though, we're going to start this on me. You can already heal your own small scrapes, so now you need to heal someone else."

The drakeling pulled his left sleeve up and set one of his claws on the skin. He made a tiny scrape and a small amount of blood beaded up. He held the wound out for Natalie and watched her close her eyes to concentrate. He kept careful attention to her mana as it rose up and began to flow over the wound.

"Pull back a little, you have a bit too much," he warned. Instantly, Natalie's mana died out entirely and Matt let out a sigh. He fixed the half-elf with a pointed look, and blandly said, "Don't pull back that much, Natz."

Natalie's eyes opened and were filled with confusion. "Natz?" she repeated.

Matt's eyes widened and his cheeks reddened slightly, "A… nickname, I guess? It just kind of slipped out. It won't happened again, promise."

Natalie tilted her head, "No, I like it. You can call me Natz, if you want. Now let me try this again."

The half-elf shut her eyes and focused on her mana. She felt the familiar swell of healing magic, and directed it towards Matt. She listened intently to the magic's whispering, trying to judge when she had enough magic. She heard Matt murmur that she was doing well. A few seconds after that, and the blond cheered. Natalie's eyes opened to see the wound had vanished and the blood was gone. Her face split into a smile.

"You did it!" Matt said brightly. "Good work, Natz!"

Natalie beamed with pride, "Now I just need to get the hang of that, and I'll be able to help with healing!"

Matt nodded and stood up, "Now then, we've spent a little more time here than I was planning. Let's get a few more hours of walking in and then we can find a place to camp for the night."

"Not going to walk until midnight again?" Natalie asked with a small note of relief in her voice.

Matt caught the undertone and chuckled, "Nah, I'm tired from being up so late last night. Besides, I doubt you like traveling at night as much as I do. I really only did it because there are less jerks at night than there are during the day, and I didn't want to deal with them."

Natalie chuckled, "I see. Well, I'm glad I don't fit into the jerk category."

Matt tilted his head with a grin, "No, I think I'm going to count you as a friend, not a jerk." His face took on a hesitant look and he shot her a glance, "That's okay, right?"

"Being your friend? I'd like that. You can be my friend too," Natalie said with a smile. Her smile took on a pensive look and she added, "I haven't had a friend before."

"Me either," Matt said quietly. His face lit up with a smile, "It should be nice. This means you can't go back until we're done with the quest, though; even if it's safe."

Natalie grinned up at him, "I wasn't planning on it, regardless of what you said."

Matt grinned back and they both started laughing. Even after their laughs died down, they remained smiling. Both were in good spirits, having made the other their friend. It would certainly make for a much more pleasant journey, and they began to look forward to the challenges that would need to be overcome.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _And they are now friends, woo hoo! Of course, Natalie doesn't know Matt is a drakeling, but that's okay. For now. Oh, and for readers of_ The Long Road Home _, the next chapter will be up in a few days; maybe even later today, if I can finish it. ;)_

 _Leave me a review for the chapter, I love reading them! I don't have any way to distinguish most guest reviewers, but I want all of them to know I love your reviews and comments! Thank you so much for all of them! Happy holidays, everyone!_


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N:_** _I'm back again with the next chapter! Enjoy!_

* * *

By the time the sun began to set, Natalie was exhausted. She was unused to so much walking in one day, and her body was being very vocal about the ramifications of that fact. Her feet felt like blocks of burning stone, her legs felt like they had weight attached to the calves, and her back was sore from standing straight all day. There was a constant throb behind her eyes from using so much mana, as Matt had insisted she practice holding a ball of light in front of her as they walked. Sweat stuck her orange bangs to her face and her tunic to her back.

On top of the aches, they had been attacked by a pair of monsters the blond had called Shren—large, green, rat-like creatures with massive dew claws and barbs along their spines and tails. One had caught Natalie's wrist and despite her best efforts to heal it, it still felt off. She had yet to ask Matt to heal her, though; instead, she kept the bruise out of sight under her cloak. And though it throbbed constantly, she never winced or made a noise. It would serve as practice for healing when they finally stopped, which she hoped would be soon.

Inwardly, Natalie felt as though she was making a poor show of being helpful to Matt's quest. The blond had yet to show any signs of exhaustion. His eyes constantly scanned the surrounding area for signs of trouble, and very once in a while, he would glance back at the half-elf. Each time he checked on her, his expression was unreadable, though he had a small frown. Still, Natalie felt an urge to apologize for slowing them down; she felt that their pace had decreased drastically since midday. Finally, Matt made a small noise and pointed to a cluster of decently sized bushes just a little off the trail ahead.

"We'll stop there for the night," Matt told Natalie.

The half-elf heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank the spirits."

Matt grinned, "Tired?"

"Exhausted; I'm entirely unused to walking for so long," Natalie admitted ruefully. She hesitated and added in a quiet voice "Sorry for slowing you down."

The blond started and asked in bewilderment, "Slowing me down? You've been keeping up just fine." He shot her a reassuring smile and added, "And you're tired from more than just walking. Building up your magic is tiring as well, but I can already tell you're getting better at it. I'm actually quite surprised you're still walking at all; I half-expected to have to carry you by this point."

"Does that mean I can just flop here and you'll carry me the rest of the way to camp?" Natalie joked, her spirits already lighter. She wondered for a moment at Matt's talent at thinking and speaking positive. He was certainly good at finding the good in her situation, praising her, and cheering her up.

Matt laughed, "I suppose I could, but I'd rather you walked there. I'll take care of the fire and fire pit before I poke around for some food, so don't worry about sustaining a campfire."

Natalie nodded, "Okay, I'll cook then, I guess."

The pair reached the bushes and slipped around behind them. There, they found the overgrown remains of someone else's campfire. Matt joked that his chores were already mostly done, and began clearing the grass and saplings out of the pit and in a large area around it. Natalie promptly flopped back on the ground with a groan at the tension leaking out of her body. Matt chuckled at her and began gathering and armful of dried branches from beneath the shrubs. He arranged the branches in the pit and then hesitated with a swift glance at Natalie.

Normally, Matt lit a campfire with his fire breath, but that was right out with Natalie there, as he was still wary of revealing his drakeling blood. He and Natalie had only been friends—an idea that still stunned him hours after they'd decided it—for less than a day. He didn't want her to be scared away from him by whatever preconceptions she had of drakelings. Finally, he decided the issue of lighting the campfire would have to be settled with a little subtlety. The half-elf had her eyes closed, anyway, so she would be unlikely to notice anything unusual. Matt made a mental note to purchase some flint and steel in the next town, however.

The drakeling casually leaned over the fire pit, blocking it from Natalie's view. A tiny curl of fire was spat into the dried grass in the middle of the wood. The golden flames caught on the tinder and spread, quickly turning to yellow, red, and orange as their fuel changed from his mana to wood. Soon, a cheery fire crackled in the pit, throwing a circle of light and warmth around it. Matt stood up with a satisfied nod and informed Natalie he was going to hunt. The half-elf sat up and nodded to him, no sign of concern or confusion at his lighting of the fire anywhere in her expression. Matt turned away with a guilty twinge for his deceiving her, but soon turned his mind to the hunt.

Natalie watched Matt slip away into the shadows beyond the circle of light cast by the fire. She smiled, thinking it was nice to have someone around who was civil to her. The half-elf then turned her attention to the ache in her wrist and pulled it out from under the cloak. She carefully prodded the swollen area, her skin now colored with a dark bruise. With a rueful grin, she supposed that she should count herself lucky that the Shren hadn't broken the bone. Finally, she shut her eyes and gently laid her free hand against the wound, and began to focus her mana.

The mana answered Natalie's call readily enough, coming much easier after all the practice spent with light magic during the day. And yet, when Natalie attempted to focus it into a weave as Matt had instructed her, she found the invisible force resistant to her wishes. She gritted her teeth and focused on the near-silent whispers of magic, wanting them to make the ache in her wrist go away. She felt an answering hum from the magic and it swelled to her aid, flowing over the wound.

With a grin, Natalie felt the ache vanish as the bruise was healed. The grin faded into a look of horror as she realized she couldn't get the mana to stop. She hauled back on the frail and invisible threads of her control over the magic and the flow finally stopped, but too late. Natalie could feel the immense amount of mana buzzing beneath her skin. She whimpered as the buzzing increased to a burning feeling and spread. She gripped her wrist as though she could physically cut off the flow of magic from the rest of her body.

A crashing sound from nearby had the panicked half-elf looking up to see Matt burst into sight with a wild look in his eyes, and a rabbit hanging from his hand. In an instant, the blond seemed to know what had happened and he paled. Faster than Natalie could see, Matt was at her side and siphoning the magic out of her body and into his own. The half-elf sensed as his body absorbed the excess light mana with no problems. She gulped and looked down at the skin of her arm. The flesh had blistered and now stung in the light breeze, and yet it felt cold. Matt touched her shoulder, drawing her eyes up.

"I'm going to heal your arm, so don't fight it, okay?" Matt said in a level voice.

Natalie nodded with a pale face, and whispered, "Okay." She watched as a gentle glow suffused her damaged arm, when the light dissipated, so had the damage and pain, and it no longer felt cold. The half-elf let out a sigh of relief and looked up at Matt. She winced when she realized the blond looked furious with her.

"What were you _thinking_ , trying to heal when completely exhausted?" Matt snapped. "I _just_ told you what can happen when you don't properly control healing magic this morning! And why didn't you tell me you were wounded? I would have helped you heal it!"

Natalie shrank down and mumbled, "I thought I could handle it on my own. I didn't tell you because don't want to be a burden or a pest."

Matt blew out a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. "Next time, tell me when you're wounded," he said in a calmer voice. "As your friend, I'd rather you pester me if you aren't feeling well then have you endanger yourself by keeping quiet. And don't _ever_ try to heal when you're tired again."

The half-elf nodded vigorously, "I promise. Thank you for saving me."

"You're welcome," Matt said with a smile.

The drakeling watched Natalie's face and mentally nodded to himself, inwardly supposing that, over all, it was actually a good thing that Natalie had had such a close call. She knew the dangers of improper healing, and how easy it could be to screw up first-hand now. The blond stood up again and moved to retrieve the rabbit he'd discarded on the ground.

"I need to skin this, but it'll be rabbit for dinner," Matt said. He tugged out a small pocket knife and handed it to Natalie, "Make a few skewers with this."

Natalie nodded and watched Matt walk off. Her heart still beat a little too fast from her close shave, but her hands were steady as she selected a few sticks to whittle down. As she worked, she silently thanked Matt for returning so quickly. Her mind replayed the look on his face when he'd appeared, and she winced. The blond had looked terrified, and rightfully so. She had come so close to killing herself with that healing attempt.

A guilty part of her was happy at the definite show of concern from the blond, however. It was nice to know her physical wellbeing mattered to someone else, though she would have preferred it not be proven in such a dangerous way. Natalie thought about how she would feel if she came back and Matt was dying in front of her, and only she could help him. A shiver of fear ran up her spine at the thought, though it was also paired with a determined flash. He was her first friend, and though she'd only known him for a day, she knew she would protect him as best as she was able. She also vowed that she would take greater care with her magic; neither she nor Matt needed the added stress.

Matt came back to camp with the rabbit already skinned, cleaned, and sliced into chunks for cooking in one hand. His face had relaxed from its former tension and he grinned as he helped Natalie skewer the meat on the sharpened stick. He carefully watched how the half-elf arranged the meat over the fire, determined to figure out how cooking worked. Natalie caught his intense gaze and smiled, amused at his obvious wanting to learn to cook despite not needing to know.

Before too long, the aroma of roast meat filled the air, and Matt fidgeted impatiently. He watched Natalie carefully slice into the meat to check it and beamed when she nodded. The half-elf pulled the skewers out from over the flames and handed two to Matt. The drakeling promptly bit into one, and let out a yelp. He shot Natalie a sour look when she giggled as he healed his mouth of the burn he had inflicted upon himself. His second bite was taken with much more care, blowing on the meat before eating it with relish. Soon, both had finished their food and Matt leaned back with a content sigh and shut his eyes.

"Cooked meat tastes amazing," he said with a grin. "It's ruined eating things raw for me forever."

Natalie laughed, "I don't know if I should say I'm sorry, or be glad that you approve of my cooking."

Matt chuckled, "Not that I have anything to compare it to, but your cooking is good for it being your first few times coking over a campfire. Who taught you to cook?"

The half-elf's amusement instantly vanished. Matt's eyes opened when Natalie remained quiet for too long. He sat up straight and saw her frowning down at her lap. The drakeling hesitated for a long moment, wondering what was wrong. He was about to ask, when Natalie beat him to speaking.

"My father taught me," Natalie said quietly.

Matt's head tilted, "Your father? Does he live in Arthrena?"

"No, he's dead," Natalie said in a flat voice. A hard edge entered her tone when she explained, "He was ripped apart by a drakeling when I was seven, right before my eyes."

Matt froze and his blue eyes went wide with horror. He swallowed and asked, "Why did the drakeling kill him?"

"I don't know," Natalie muttered. "It was probably insane. Everyone says all drakelings are insane monsters, and what I saw definitely confirms that."

Matt tensed and felt the familiar flash of anger as he heard another slam against drakelings. At the same moment, an icy shard of sorrow dug into his chest as he realized that he would likely never be able to tell Natalie that he himself was a drakeling; at least, not anytime soon. Still, he held onto a slight hope that maybe one day she would realize he wasn't like the drakeling that killed her father. He doubted the act had been random, but couldn't think of what could have provoked a drakeling to seek someone out just to murder them. Still, perhaps he could convince Natalie that not all drakelings were bad.

"How do you know that every drakeling is an insane monster?" he asked as calmly as he could.

Natalie hesitated and said, "Everyone says they are. They say drakelings can't control themselves and often tear people apart to eat them; certainly that… that was what happened with my father."

Matt briefly had the urge to protest that _he_ had certainly never had a problem controlling himself, and had _never_ wanted to kill and eat a person before. Still, he fought the impulse back, instead saying, "I've lived in the light dragons' lands for most of my life, and all the drakelings I've known were nothing like that." A mild lie; he had never seen another drakeling aside from himself, but his father had told him of others, and none of them had been anywhere near as bad as Natalie was claiming. "I think you shouldn't write a whole species off based on the actions of one."

Natalie puffed up and snapped, "Those _actions_ killed my father and landed me on the streets in a society where half-elves are scorned!"

Despite his best efforts to remain calm, Matt grew irritated. "And yet you listen to the same racist bigots who hate you as they tell about their hatred of another half-blood race. I'll bet they have similar awful ideas about half-elves as they do about drakelings," he snapped back. "Besides, every society has their murderers, so why should drakelings be any different?"

For a moment, he thought he had gotten through to Natalie. She actually physically pulled back for a moment, eyes wide with shock. Then, she seemed to begin to consider what he'd said. Matt held his breath, only to inwardly slump when Natalie's eyes hardened again. He shook his head before she could defend her point further, and turned away from her, moving to lie down.

"Never mind," Matt muttered. "It's clear I won't change your mind. Let's drop the topic and go to sleep." With that he rolled so his back was to the half-elf and shut his eyes.

Natalie stared at the blonde's tense form with wide eyes. Deep inside herself, she realized that Matt had a good argument. Still, she could not dismiss her father's murder so easily. In her mind's eye, she saw the main room of her father's apothecary shop covered in fresh blood, a snarling drakeling standing in the middle of it, blood dripping from his jaws. The half-elf shivered and shoved the memory away. She followed Matt's example and lay down close to the fire. Despite her whirling thoughts, her physically exhausted body quickly pushed her asleep.

 **OOOOOO**

The next day saw a subtle tension between the pair. Matt still treated Natalie politely and continued to aid her with her magic, but his words were clipped and said cool in tone, and he no longer made idle chatter. Clearly, he was still angry with her. Natalie was baffled by his continued irritation, but kept silent, focusing on improving her skills and ignoring the aches in her muscles. However, she was already missing Matt's usual cheer, but didn't know what she could say to fix the sudden rift between them.

They still hadn't resolved their issues when they finally reached a town two days later. Matt announced that he needed to buy some supplies, and would return shortly. He told Natalie that she could go wherever, and even handed her some gold to buy herself some food. Natalie watched him all but stalk away towards the store. She clutched the gold coins in her hand, and turned towards a food stall selling fresh fruit with a lump in her throat. Already, her first friend was so angry he didn't want to be around her.

"Two apples, please," Natalie said to the vendor in a low voice and set a coin on the counter.

"We don't serve your kind here," the man spat back. "Get away before you explode my stall, or I'll call the guards."

Natalie's eyes widened indignantly, but she moved to pick up her gold. To her anger and despair, the vendor swiped it up and tucked it away before she could grasp it. Normally, she would have demanded that he return her money or at least give her some food for a whole gold coin piece. At the moment, however, she was too upset to manage an argument without crying. The half-elf merely turned away and headed for the gate she and Matt had come in from.

Once there, Natalie hunkered down against some discarded barrels with tears in her eyes, out of sight of the main road, and fiddled with the remaining three coins in her hands. She bitterly compared her current location to the many she had used in Arthrena, and wondered if Matt would want to leave her here. Already she was wondering how many places to hide or sleep that the town had to offer. The tears in her eyes slipped down her face and she wiped them away with her sleeve.

The half-elf raised her head when she heard Matt calling for her, but didn't reply. He still sounded irritated with her, and she figured that she might as well make the decision to leave for him. She waited until his voice had faded before slipping out from behind the barrel. She ducked her way down alleys and backroads, staying out of sight until she reached the far gate of the village. There, she hesitated and looked back at the small town. She could just see Matt speaking to the food vendor she had tried to buy from, obviously still looking for her.

Natalie turned her face away and stepped out of the town. Matt would give up soon enough, and would find a better friend than her. With that dismal thought, the half-elf walked away, head down, and shoulders slumped.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt stepped out of the general store and called for Natalie. His lingering irritation with her faded to concern when she didn't reply. He scanned the small crowd, and then scanned it again when he realized that he couldn't see her anywhere. The drakeling wondered if maybe she had sat down to eat somewhere and set out to search for her. The town was small, so the search wouldn't take long. He mentally berated himself for not setting a place to meet up again with her.

Twenty minutes later, and Matt returned to the main square with the beginnings of fear in his mind. Natalie had been nowhere in the town that he had seen. She didn't respond to his calls of her name, and the only person who'd seen her had been a food vendor. Matt's fists clenched as he remembered the man's description of sending Natalie away, but he relaxed again. Racism, while frustrating and wrong, was common, and getting worked up over every instance of it was pointless.

Right now, he was more concerned about Natalie. A lot could go wrong for a lone half-elf in a strange place. On top of that, Natalie was a woman, which compounded the danger. His mind attempted to soothe him, reminding that the half-elf was smart and had years of experience living on the streets. It was far more likely that she was mad at him or the food vendor, and working on cooling off. The chances were slim that she had gotten into serious trouble without making some kind of noise, or using her magic to the point where he would sense it.

Still, Matt couldn't help but want to find her to be sure. Natalie was his first friend, and he needed to know she was okay. With that thought in mind, he shut his eyes and tried to pick up her scent. There were so many swirling around the market that at first he feared he wouldn't be able to distinguish hers from everything else. He could smell dozens of people, the sweet scent of fresh fruit and bread, a number of animals ranging from chickens to cattle, and the various plants decorating the town. He carefully sifted through the various scents.

Then, he caught a whiff and followed it to the entrance he and Natalie had taken to get in. There, he also smelled salt, and his eyes widened as he realized that she must have been crying here. Guilt swamped him as he wondered if she had come here right after speaking with the fruit vendor. He followed her trail from the barrels to an alley, much to his confusion. The trail zigzagged through the town, staying off the main paths until it came to an exit to the village and led outside.

Matt's eyes widened and he was filled with a sense of hurt. Natalie had left while he was at the store, probably thinking he was mad at her and wanted her gone. Or, more likely, she'd decided she hated him. She hadn't even told him goodbye. The drakeling slumped, and was about to turn to keep heading east to continue his quest. He hesitated and glanced back out the town gate where Natalie had gone. A niggling doubt told him to check up on her, just in case.

He wavered there, wondering whether he should head after Natalie and apologize, or let her be since she made her choice, and continue with his quest. Logically, he knew that he should continue the quest as it was more important to the world at large. Emotionally, he wanted to make sure Natalie was alright, as he considered her a friend. The Blight was a serious threat to everybody, while Natalie's danger was her inexperience with travel. Logic dismally considered that maybe it was good thing she had left as it meant he would no longer have to hide the fact that he was a drakeling.

Finally, his heart made the decision for him. He remembered her joy at him volunteering to teach her, her happiness at having someone around to talk to, and his own happiness during the brief time they had journeyed together. She was his friend, and he would make sure she was alright. He headed out of the gate after Natalie. It was ridiculous, he decided, to end their new friendship over one argument. Besides, the half-elf couldn't have gotten far yet, so it wasn't like he would lose a lot of time heading after her. With those thoughts in mind, Matt started a brisk jog.

A short ways out of town, and Matt broke into a sprint. Three new scents had mixed in with Natalie's. She was being followed by a group of men, and by the faint stench of blood on them, he doubted it was for anything friendly. The landscape blurred by in a wash of green and brown. Matt pushed himself to go faster when he felt a spike of mana from ahead.

Matt crested a hill, and saw Natalie writhing on the ground, surrounded by three, human men. The half-elf had been bound and gagged, and her staff lay discarded on the ground a few feet away. Two of the men rubbed salve onto burns through ruined jackets while the third rubbed at his eyes constantly—a familiar motion for when a person had been blinded by light magic. Matt felt a faint twinge of pride for the amount of damage Natalie had done, despite the fact that it had likely been a surprise attack.

Mostly, though, he felt rage. Rage against the three bastards who'd hurt his friend.

With a snarl, the drakeling launched himself down the hill, one hand drawing his sword. The two men with the burns jerked their heads around to gape at him. Natalie's own eyes widened in shock at the sight of him, and she gave a muffled cry. Matt slammed full-force into one man, sheathing his blade in the man's torso. He left the weapon stuck in the man's chest as the lifeless body collapsed backwards.

The drakeling whirled and dropped to the ground to dodge a slash from the second man's sword. While on the ground, he swept the man's legs out from under his body and was on him in an instant when the assaulter hit the ground with a grunt. Matt's claws flashed in the sunlight as he slashed them across the man's throat. He stood up and fixed a furious glare on the final man.

The human had cleared his dazzled eyes to the sight of his comrades dead and dying on the ground, and a tall, blond glaring at him with blood in his claws. The sounds of choking filled the air as the man with the ruined throat tried to breath past the mangled tear. A few seconds later, and he died with a wheezing rattle. Matt bared his fangs, and the remaining human threw down his weapon, turned tail, and ran. Instantly, Matt relaxed from his hostile stance. He knelt down and cleaned his bloodied hand on one dead man's shirt before moving to untie Natalie.

The half-elf had watched the brief but bloody conflict with wide eyes. Matt had single-handedly taken down all three men in the span of a few minutes. His attacks had been precise, swift, graceful, and deadly, and his very person exuded a promise of more as he glared at the final human. It was a startling shift from his usual laid-back actions. But now that there was no longer a threat, he had reverted to his normal self. Natalie stared up at him as he knelt beside her, and felt as his claws sliced through the rope binding her hands and legs.

Natalie sat up and continued to stare at Matt as he moved to retrieve his sword from the first man's corpse. She watched him tug the blade free and clean it off on the man's pants. She was hardly able to believe he was here since she had left him at the town. Clearly, he didn't hate her if he'd chosen to come find her rather than continue his quest, and she felt a wave that was equal parts guilt and relief. Shakily, Natalie rose to her feet, and Matt finally met her eyes. She was confused at the nervous look in them.

"You okay, Natz?" Matt asked quietly.

Natalie nodded, "Yes, thanks to you." She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm… a little surprised you're here. I thought you'd be happy to be rid of me." To her surprise, Matt fiercely shook his head.

"You're my friend now, and one stupid argument won't change that," Matt said firmly. He tilted his head and hesitantly asked, "Do you still want to come with me?" His hesitation vanished as the half-elf's face broke out in a brilliant smile.

"Of course, since you still want me here," Natalie said firmly. She ducked her head slightly and added, "I'm sorry for getting mad at you over the drakelings. I'll… try to consider what you said, and keep my opinions on them to myself."

Matt nodded, "Okay then, and I'm sorry for being so distant to you. I just… hate mindless racism. I want people to stop it, but it's hard to control my temper over it sometimes."

Natalie shook her head, "I hate it too, but obviously I'm a bit of a hypocrite."

"Not if you try to change," Matt refuted. "Besides, you have a reason to hate drakelings; I just want you to realize that not all of them are the same." He turned back the way he'd come and said, "Ready to go? We should reach the village at the edge of the woods we'll need to cross pretty soon. Maybe we can get a room for the night there."

Natalie fell into step beside him, "Sounds good. What's the name of the forest we have to go through?"

"Drennea Woods," Matt replied. "We'll need to ask around for a guide, though. I've been told you can't just walk through without getting lost. Luckily, there are a lot of Wood Elves in the town. I'm sure one of them will be able to help us."

"Will they help me?" Natalie asked bitterly. "Elves don't like half-elves, after all. They might refuse to help just because I'm with you."

Matt glanced at her, "We'll deal with that, if it happens. Besides, I've been told the Wood Elves are much more subtle with their racism, so it's possible they won't refuse out of hand."

"We'll see, I guess," Natalie sighed. She looked up at Matt and said, "I'm going to try to heal these rope burns. I doubt I'll have trouble with them, but can you keep an eye on me, just in case?"

"Of course," Matt said with a smile.

Matt watched Natalie's eyes glaze as she focused on the healing magic. The drakeling approved of the change of keeping her eyes open and continuing to walk. The sooner she could manage multiple things at once while healing, the better off she'd be. He clapped as the rope burns healed smoothly with no problem.

"Good job, Natz!" Matt praised. "It was a smooth flow and you didn't need to focus entirely on the healing. Just a little more practice and I doubt you'll need to worry about healing yourself anymore."

Natalie beamed, "It's much easier now, that's for sure. It'll take a while before I'll manage to heal you, too, though. Certainly, I won't be as good at it as you for some time."

Matt chuckled, "I've had years of practice with a good teacher. I think you have the potential to be a great healer, someday, though."

"Who taught you, an elf?" Natalie asked curiously.

"Nah, before I'd been to Arthrena, I'd never seen an elf. They don't travel much, to my understanding," Matt replied with a shake of his head. He grinned as he said, "No, I had a couple light dragons for teachers."

Natalie gaped at him, "Really? That's amazing!"

Matt nodded, "Yeah, they were great. Both are far better healers than I am, but they've also had centuries to perfect the art, and healing is a light dragon's specialty." His eyes turned ahead and he grinned, "Look, there's the entrance to the town!"

Natalie turned to look and she grinned as well. Two live trees had been woven together to form an arched entryway. She couldn't see any buildings yet, but she figured they had to be just inside the tree line. The pair exchanged an excited look and sped up their pace. They'd find a room for the night, and then ask around for a guide through Drennea Woods.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Next up, an elven city in the woods! I'm looking forward to writing it; we'll see if that enthusiasm holds up. XD Oh, and the city will be named next chapter, I promise I did not forget about that. Leave me a pretty review, and I'll be back soon!_


	6. Chapter 6

**_A/N:_** _Chapter six is here! Time for some wood elves!_

* * *

Matt and Natalie walked under the woven tree arch and into the trees. They each looked around at the massive trunks with wonder. Neither had seen trees this large before. Natalie could hear rustles in the leaves, but anytime she looked, there was nothing there. Matt heard the same rustles, but could neither see, nor hear what was watching them. All the same, he sensed that whatever was there was not hostile. Still, the sensation was unsettling, and finally, Matt stopped.

"Who's there?" he called firmly.

A quiet giggle was his only answer. Matt's tense form relaxed. He could tell by the laughter that it was a child playing in the trees. Likely, it was a wood elf, and always checked on new visitors to the forests. The drakeling nodded to himself and exchanged an amused look with Natalie. The half-elf grinned back and raised one hand to let loose a twinkling ball of light.

"Oo, pretty!" a young boy chirped. There was a rustle and an elven child with green hair dropped down from the branches. He cocked his head to look up at Matt and Natalie and asked, "Are you Grand Elves? Do you know a lot of magic? Can you turn invisible? Can you turn my little sister into a chimber so she'll be less noisy?"

Matt snorted a laugh at the last of the rapid-fire questions. A chimber was a small creature that looked like a cross between a squirrel and a dragonfly. They were known for being very quiet and helpful. He grinned down at the young boy and said, "No, yes, no, and no."

The boy pouted, "Phooey, I was really hoping on that last one." He cheered up quickly and asked, "If you aren't elves then what are you?"

Natalie tensed slightly as she replied, "I'm a half-elf, but we don't know what he is." To her relief, the boy merely cocked his head, but didn't look frightened or angry at her.

"Da says half-elves are fur men, but you don't really look furry to me," the boy said.

Matt chuckled, "No, she doesn't. He probably meant vermin, but she doesn't look like a rat, either, does she?"

The boy shook his head, "Nope."

Matt nodded, "She's really nice. Most half-elves are."

The boy nodded, "Anna's really nice, too. She also doesn't look furry, or like a rat."

Natalie frowned briefly, figuring that whoever Anna was, she was likely a half-elf as well. She knelt down with a smile, "My name's Natalie and his is Matt. What's yours?"

"Elmanil, the best archer in the village! Well, almost, anyway," the boy exclaimed, chest puffing out with pride. "You should come meet my parents then you can tell them half-elves aren't rats! Then maybe they won't get so mad at me when I play with Anna."

Matt shook his head, "I don't think they'll listen to us; maybe later."

Elmanil deflated with disappointment, "Okay… But you have to at least come and say hi! They're the most importantest people in the whole village!"

Natalie exchanged a glance with Matt who shrugged. The half-elf was visibly wary of meeting people who they already knew would hate her. Matt eyed the look of unease on Natalie's face with a thoughtful frown. Finally, he nodded and turned to Elmanil.

"I can come meet your parents, but Natalie is tired, so she'll stay at the inn, okay?" Matt said with a smile.

The young elf cheered and dashed off to bounce a short distance away, waiting for them. Matt and Natalie followed behind him with looks of amusement. Matt motioned for Natalie to move a little closer and lowered his voice to explain his reasoning.

"I'm thinking one of his parents is probably the mayor, or nearest thing to, here," Matt said quietly. "I'll see if I can get them to supply a guide for us and won't mention you if I don't have to, okay?"

Natalie nodded, "Sounds good. I'll wait in the room at the inn. I think you'll have to buy it, though. I doubt they'll sell me a room."

Matt nodded with a frown, "Yeah, probably. Also, stick close to me in the streets. I doubt they'll do anything openly, but better safe than sorry."

Elmanil led them to an empty clearing. Once there he cupped his hands over his mouth and made a loud chirping sound. The sound echoed for a moment before a similar chirping responded. There was a rustle, and then a basket descended from high in the trees. The elven boy led the way onto the basket and motioned excitedly for Matt and Natalie to get on. The pair joined him on the lift and felt it jerk off the ground.

The basket swayed gently as it lifted high into the trees. Matt and Natalie peered between the leaves and their breath caught in amazement. The trees themselves were the wood elves homes. Each trunk had a hollow bulge in it with lights glowing in some. Suspension walkways made from vines and thick bark stretched to and from platforms formed entirely from live, woven branches. Everything was natural in make. On top of that, magic seemed to hum in the air, giving the clean forest air an energized feeling.

Flickering balls of light flashed in and out of the leaves. At first the pair thought the lights were fireflies, but then one flew close enough to reveal that it was actually a tiny person with wings. Fairies darted in and out of the trees and houses. Some tugged on the wood elves hair before tittering and flying off when the person turned. Others bounced off of the trunks of the trees, and everywhere they touched, tiny flowers grew on the bark.

Elves flitted here and there both on the walkways and in the unwoven branches of the trees. All of the elves had varying shades of green hair and eyes, and wore tunics in greys, browns and greens. Almost all of them carried bows across their backs or long hunting knives on their belts. Some eyed the new comers as they stepped off the lift, but no judgement passed across their features. Their gazes lingered on Natalie, and some expressions cooled while others remained neutral. Natalie decided it was a better reaction than the Grand Elves of Arthrena.

"Welcome to Arbella!" Elmanil chirped with a grandiose gesture around him.

Matt nodded, "It's beautiful here. How did they make the walkways and houses?"

The elven boy shrugged as he turned to walk, "Ma says some elves can sing to the plants and make them listen. Not everyone, though. Only a few each gen- genra- gener…" He trailed off, frowning as he tried to remember the word.

Natalie smiled, thinking Elmanil was a sweet, young boy. "Generation?" she suggested.

"Yeah!" Elmanil said with a grin up at her. "Some elves each generation can do it, but not a lot."

The half-elf nodded, "I see."

The elven boy led them across a swaying bridge. He dashed across with no fear, and Matt made to follow him before realizing Natalie looked uncomfortable. The drakeling grinned back at her, "Scared of heights?"

"No, more scared of wobbly bridges at great heights," Natalie said with a rueful grin. "I spent a lot of time on top of buildings in Arthrena, but they were nice and solid."

Matt tilted his head, "I doubt the bridge will break on you. They do use it every day, after all."

Natalie nodded, "True."

The half-elf cautiously stepped onto the swaying bridge and immediately felt the sway increase. She swallowed and began inching her way forwards. Matt rolled his eyes and snagged her wrist. He grinned at her expression of surprise and started jogging, yanking her forwards. Natalie let out a yelp as she was forced to walk faster or fall on her face. She glared at the back of Matt's head and sent a small spark of lighting through her skin and he released her wrist with a yelp.

"You'd better start running, Matt," Natalie warned.

Matt laughed, "Okay." He took off, sprinting down the rest of the bridge and skidded to a halt beside Elmanil, who stared at him with confusion.

Natalie came running down the bridge with a grin on her face. Matt had thrown her into the deep water by yanking her forwards, but it made running on her own easier. She reached the end of the bridge and planted her hands on her hips as she glared at Matt. The blond met her glare with a grin. Before anything could be said, Elmanil piped up.

"We're almost to the _hala_ , come on!" he said cheerfully, using the elven word for an inn.

Natalie eyed Matt, "You get off easy this time, buster."

Matt grinned, "Lucky me."

The three walked across the platform of woven branches and came to a large building. A carving in the bark read: _The Resting Nest Inn_ in elvish, and had a picture of a bird sleeping in a nest. Elmanil walked straight into the circular opening that was the door and was followed by Matt and Natalie.

Inside the inn was lit with a crystal orb filled with a glowing gold light set in the ceiling. A series of circular tables grew straight out of the floor with four elegantly carved and polished stools around each. An elven man stood behind a counter with a ceramic mug in one hand and small book in the other. He looked up at the sound of pattering footsteps and beamed when he spotted Elmanil.

"Why if it isn't the best hunter in the village," the elf said in greeting. "Here to spoil your appetite for dinner?"

The elven boy laughed, "Hi, mister Eralyn! My new friends need a room." He grinned and added, "But I won't tell Ma if you give me some sweet bark if you don't." He got a laugh in return along with a strip of candy that looked like bark, but smelled of fruit.

Eralyn shook his head fondly and turned his attention to his customers, "How many rooms?"

Matt glanced at Natalie who shrugged. "Do you have any with two beds?" he asked.

The elf nodded, "Of course. It'll be one hundred and fifty gold pieces for the room and meals per night."

Matt fished out his the money and paid for the room, "One night for now, please." He stuck the excess away with a contemplative frown. "I'm going to have to get some kind of quick work soon," he muttered.

Natalie fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling guilty that Matt was paying for everything. She hesitated and looked to the inn owner. "Do you know of any paying work around here that needs to be done?" she asked quietly.

Eralyn rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well, not in a short term, no; certainly none available for half-elves."

Matt scowled, "Natalie is just as capable as any elf."

"Never said she wasn't," the elf said easily. "I have no issue with half-elves. Discriminating customers isn't a wise business plan. Many of the folk here do, however. I suppose there's a bounty out for a small group of humans calling themselves the Slitters. They go around fulfilling their namesake and pilfering the bodies of their victims. They've been a real problem for the city."

Natalie sucked in a breath and leaned closer to Matt, "That's what those three men who attacked me called themselves."

Matt nodded slightly and turned to the innkeeper, "I killed a group of men who called themselves the Slitters. Three of them, all human, wore black, and carried a dagger and a sword each."

"Wow, really?" Elmanil asked with bright eyes. "You must be really strong!"

The innkeeper cast a fond look of exasperation at the boy and said, "Can you produce the bodies?"

Matt hesitated, "Well, they're lying on the road about a mile west of here."

"Take that information to this boy's parents and they'll pay you, then," Eralyn said with a smile.

"Awesome, thank you," Matt said with a grin. He turned to Natalie, "You head upstairs, and I'll be back in a little while."

Natalie nodded, "Okay, see you later."

Matt watched her go for a moment before turning to the innkeeper. "Thanks for your help, and I wish I could chat right now, but I need to talk to Elmanil's parents about the bounty and getting a guide before it gets too late."

"No problem, I'm glad I could help," the elf said and waved them off.

Elmanil dashed back outside, followed closely by Matt. The boy scampered across another bridge and up a twisting walkway. Matt followed a little slower, still getting used to the swaying motions of the walkway. Just as he rounded the trunk, he ran into someone coming down the walkway. The drakeling staggered back, arms wheeling to keep his balance. The young woman he had run into fell back with a grunt, but sprang up again to steady him. As soon as he was stable, she bowed.

"I'm so sorry, sir," the woman said quickly with a hint of fear in her voice. "I should have been looking where I was going."

Matt shook his head with a grin, "You and me both. That and we should figure out how to see through trees. Sorry for knocking you down."

He eyed the woman in front of him. She avoided meeting his eyes when she straightened. She was slightly shorter than Natalie, had long green hair pulled back in a braid, and wore a gray tunic that was a size too large with frayed hems. A bow hung over her shoulder along with a quiver of arrows. Matt frowned as he realized she was a half-elf by her scent.

Elmanil dropped off a branch over their heads, wondering what was taking Matt so long. His green eyes fell on the half-elf woman and he beamed. "Anna! Are you going out hunting? Can I come?" he asked excitedly.

Anna shot a brief look at him with a fond smile on her lips, "You know your parents wouldn't like that, sir."

"Aww, not the 'sir' thing again… you know I hate that," Elmanil whined. "You're my friend, remember?"

Matt watched the exchange with amusement and slight confusion. He frowned when Anna's face flickered with some emotion that vanished before he could discern what it was. The half-elf's face quirked in a grin and she shook her head.

"How about when I get back, we can sneak off to do some archery together? Sound good?" Anna offered.

Elmanil pouted, "Fine, but you'd better not vanish on me like last time. See you later, Anna." He turned to Matt as the half-elf walked off, "My house is just up above."

Matt turned his eyes from where he watched Anna leap off the path to a snag a branch and swiftly make her way out of sight. He grinned to the elf and said, "Then let's get up there!"

The boy nodded rapidly with a grin and led Matt up the rest of the walk and to a massive treehouse. Wooden chimes hung from branches, gently clacking in the slight breeze that twisted between the trees. A string of laundry had been hung out and a number of hides had been stretched out for tanning. The home itself was three times larger than any of the others that the drakeling had seen.

Matt gave a small whistle of appreciation and followed Elmanil to the door. The boy led him past a large sitting room and a dining room. Finally, he stepped out on a balcony where two elves were seated, reading. A small cradle sat between them with an infant elf sleeping peacefully. Elmanil scampered up to the woman and kissed her cheek.

"I'm back, Ma, and I brought a new friend!" Elmanil chirped. "Matt has some questions for you!"

The woman smiled down at him fondly before turning her gentle green eyes on Matt. "Be welcome to our home, Matt," she said with an incline of her head.

Matt bowed, "It's an honor." He straightened and was waved to a seat. Matt sat down and let out a quiet sound of appreciation at the hammock seat made of fur. "Comfy," he commented with a grin.

The elf chuckled, "Aren't they? We only just started making them. We plan to sell a few once we figure out how long they last for. My name is Arabyn, and this is my wife, Alona."

Elmanil piped up, "And this is my little sister, Eyrena, being quiet, for once."

Matt let out a soft laugh, "The one you wanted me to turn into a chimber?"

Arabyn snorted out a laugh, "He asked you to what?" He pretended to consider the thought for a moment, "Actually, that's not a bad idea. We could sleep the night through for once."

Alona nudged his arm with a laugh, "There will be no impossible magics to turn my little gem into an animal."

Matt grinned, enjoying the lighthearted atmosphere. Finally, though he shook his head, and settled to business. "I caught and killed the Slitters when they attacked my friend. I didn't realize there was a bounty on them, but their bodies are a mile west of Arbella."

"You got them, huh?" Arabyn said with relief in his voice, "That's good. They've been raiding our traders. Sending large enough caravans has been expensive, but the only way to get supplies in and out. I'll get you your money in a minute."

Alona nodded, "I can get it now. Can I interest you in something to drink?"

"Oo, I'll get it!" Elmanil piped up, clearly not wanting to stay in one place for long. "Juice is okay, right?" Before he could receive an answer, or even a confirmation of wanting a drink, he darted off. Alona sighed in fond exasperation, and gently scooped up Eyrena when she began to fuss before following him.

Matt watched them go with a smile, "He's a good kid." He turned his eyes back to the other elf and said in a serious voice, "I would like to be honest with you before I ask for any favors."

Arabyn nodded with a slight frown, "I appreciate your openness. Too often people here hide their natures, and it can be frustrating. I will keep an open mind."

"Thank you," Matt said and took a deep breath. "I'm a light-drakeling, Matt, son of Luthradax, son of Lumen. Please don't tell anyone."

Arabyn leaned back and studied Matt for a long moment. He had been told drakelings were uncontrollable monsters, but he preferred to make his own judgements. Matt had been polite, had stopped three bloodthirsty bandits, and kind to Elmanil. Finally he nodded, "I see. You are not what I imagined a drakeling to be, but I can't say I mind the differences. What do you need?"

Matt heaved a sigh of relief. That had gone over far better than he had expected. "I'm on a quest to stop the Blight, and need to get through the Drennea Woods. I've been told by my father that I need a guide."

"Stop the Blight you say?" Arabyn said in surprise. "I assume you need the relics then. Have you spoken with Our Lady, Leanala?"

Matt nodded, "Her Highness has entrusted me and my companion with the elven relic. I plan to speak with the fire dragons next."

The elf nodded, "They are the next closest. Unfortunately, most of our people are currently away trading in Arthrena and Arlana. They will not be back for several weeks at the earliest."

Matt slumped, "That long? Is there no one here who can help us?"

"The forests are dangerous," Arabyn said with regret in his tone. "There are few in the village that can both show the way and defend themselves. Really, it's only the hunters. I'm sorry, but you will have to wait."

"What about Anna?" Matt asked hesitantly. "Elmanil and I passed her on my way up here, and she said she was going hunting. Could she guide us through?"

Arabyn's face twisted with distaste, "No, the half-elf stays here. She is too valuable an asset to send off on a long journey through the woods where she might not come back."

Matt frowned, "Asset?"

"We bought her a few years ago," Arabyn explained briefly. "She's a tree-singer, which made her expensive. She might run off given the opportunity. Besides, we need her to do the hunting and upkeep here."

The light-drakeling felt a flash of fury on Anna's behalf. He stood up abruptly, "How can you consent to keeping another living creature as a slave? It's illegal, and wrong!"

Arabyn waited patiently for Matt to calm down, his eyes hard. "She was sold legally by her mother to escape a debt, she told me so herself. It is only if she were kidnapped that owning her would be illegal. As for the moral end, lesser elves should be kept contained. They are weak and likely would die on their own. It is a favor I give her to allow her to stay here."

Matt opened his mouth to keep arguing, but then shut it again. He shook his head and said, "Fine. I'm sorry if I offended you."

The elf coolly replied, "It is fine. Dragons are known for their plain and quick speech. Please refrain from accusing my family again, however."

Matt bowed with gritted teeth, "Of course."

At that moment, Alona and Elmanil came back. The boy carried three glasses carefully balanced on a try. His mother carried a pouch of gold in one hand and Eyrena in her other arm. She handed Matt the gold, noting his upset features. Elmanil did as well, and frowned as he offered Matt a ceramic cup fill with a fragrant juice.

"Are you okay, Matt?" he asked.

Matt shook off his anger and nodded, "Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking about something, is all. Thank you for the drink."

"Perhaps it would be best if you went to rest after you finish your drink," Alona suggested.

Elmanil whined, "Aw, but I wanted to show him my archery!"

Matt grinned, "I'll be here for a while, maybe tomorrow." He finished his juice and handed the glass to the boy to put on the tray, "That was good, thank you." He stood up and bowed, "Thank you for your time and hospitality. Once again, I'm sorry if I offended you, Arabyn. Good evening."

Matt straightened and turned to leave. Elmanil followed him to the front door and just as they stepped out, Anna appeared carrying a large fowl. Matt observed her for a moment. She was a little too thin, but not horribly so. Her green eyes showed pride in her catch and she nodded to Elmanil with a small grin when he asked about archery later. She seemed happy enough, but distant and meek. Whether that was because of her status as a slave or her actual nature was difficult to say, though.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you later, Elmanil," Matt said. "Thanks for your help today."

The boy bounced in place, "Come with us to see my archery? Anna's been teaching me to get better! She's the best archer in the whole world! Of course, she's why I'm not the best, but I'll beat her at it someday!"

Anna smiled, "You just might." She turned her eyes on Matt and added, "You're welcome to watch, if you'd like, sir."

Matt shook his head, "No need to call me sir, Matt is fine. And no thank you, but maybe next time. My friend, Natalie, is waiting at the inn for me, so I should head back before she thinks I fell off the walk or something. Good evening, you two."

Anna bowed and Matt felt a twinge of sorrow for her as he left. He walked to the inn slowly, turning over his meeting with Elmanil's parents in his head. Aside from their belief that half-elves were dumb and needed guidance, he'd liked them. And their son was a bundle of fun and life. Matt had no doubts that once he matured and learned a little patience, he would be a great elf; especially if he kept his belief that half-elves weren't any different from regular elves.

Matt walked into the inn to see Natalie eating a salad of some kind and chatting with the innkeeper. He leaned in the doorway for a moment, watching them. It was a relief to him that Natalie had merely been homeless, not a slave. The drakeling stood straight and stepped inside prompting Natalie to look around. Her face split in a smile and she waved him over.

"So how'd it go?" she asked when Matt sat down.

Matt shrugged, "Well enough, I guess. We have to wait a while before there are any available guides, but Arabyn says he'll help us."

Natalie cocked her head slightly, "You look a little upset. What's wrong?"

Matt shrugged, "Nothing I can change easily. I met Anna on my way up to Elmanil's house. She's a legal slave to his family."

"Seriously?" Natalie said with a crestfallen expression. "I had no idea Elmanil was talking about a slave."

Matt nodded, "Yeah, I don't think Elmanil is old enough to realize she's a slave. He thinks the world of her, too. Anyway, she seems happy enough. A little thin maybe, but okay overall."

The innkeeper came over with a bowl of stew and a ceramic cup of water. He set them down and said, "Anna's a sweet girl. She brings me fresh game sometimes, and has helped repair my inn once or twice. I wish they would treat her better, but I suppose she's treated better than most. She has a roof over her head, food, and clothing. They even let go hunt in the woods, but I suspect that freedom is more out of a desire for fresh food than a gift."

"I thought as much," Matt said with a frown. "Anyway, aside from their opinions of half-elves, I actually like them. They're pretty good people."

Natalie looked unconvinced, "I can't say I agree with you if they keep a slave. I wish we could help her."

Matt shrugged with a shake of his head, "Me, too, but she's apparently valuable. I don't have the money to buy her, and they seem unwilling to let her go for free. She seems nice enough, though. She's been teaching Elmanil archery, and likely against his parents' wishes. I think she genuinely likes him. Can't say I blame her; he's a nice kid."

The innkeeper waved for him to keep his voice down, "Shh, Anna could get into serious trouble if they catch her teaching him again."

Natalie scowled, "That's ridiculous, she's helping their son improve, what's to hate about that?" She kept her voice low, however.

The elf scowled and told them quietly, "They're very traditional and insist that a half-elf could never be as good as a full elf. They refuse to see that Anna is an excellent archer and teacher of the craft. It wouldn't be wrong to claim she's the best archer in this entire city."

Matt tilted his head thoughtfully, "She invited me along to see her and Elmanil practice sometime. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you tagging along, Natz."

"I'd like that, I've never seen real archery before," Natalie said with a smile. "It'd be nice to give her someone to talk to, too. I've never met a half-wood elf before, either."

Eralyn smiled and whispered, "I'll catch Anna when she comes by tomorrow with the game and tell her you'd like to meet her."

Matt smiled at him, "Thanks, we'd really appreciate that. For now, though, we should get some sleep. Goodnight, Eralyn."

The elf nodded to them and turned his attention to a group of elves coming in for evening drinks. Matt and Natalie moved to a door that led to a spiraling staircase. Natalie fit their key into the lock of their door and pushed the door open. She and Matt slipped inside and scanned their room.

Two twin-sized beds sat against the wall with a side table between them. There was a circular window with no pane, but shutters for if it was chilly out. A single carved wood chair sat beneath the window. A smaller orb like the one in the inn's main room lit the area. Natalie tugged her cloak off and tossed it on the chair and leaned her staff against it.

"Nice room," Natalie commented as she flopped onto one of the beds. "Oh, this mattress is soft," she contently sighed.

Matt chuckled and sat on the other one, "Well, I'm glad you like the bed. We might be here for a while until the guides comes back. I wonder if we can work to pay for the rooms."

Natalie sat back up, "Maybe. How much did you get for the bounty?"

"Dunno, I haven't counted it yet," Matt said with a shrug. He pulled out the pouch as he went on, "That was a lucky break for us."

The half-elf cocked her head, "Where the heck did you pull that sack of gold from?"

Matt shot her a startled look, "What do you mean? I pulled it from my bag."

"You just pulled a sack of money from an empty pouch three times smaller than it," Natalie said flatly. "Are you a magician?"

Matt snorted, "By strictest definition of using magic, yes. It's a magic bag you can fit just about anything and everything in to." He gestured to her waist, "You have one, too. I didn't realize you didn't know what it was, though."

Natalie gave a start and her eyes fell to the pouch on the belt the queen had given her. She tugged it free and held it up to inspect. "I didn't realize this was magic," she mused aloud.

"Did you get that from the queen? They're pretty expensive, after all," Matt asked.

The half-elf nodded, "Yeah, I got this, my staff, and my cloak from her."

Matt smiled, "She's really nice, a very good queen. Now let's check out the spoils." He spilled the bag of gold he'd received onto the mattress and sifted through it counting the pieces. Finally, he hummed and said, "Six hundred, huh? I wonder if the bounty was two hundred a head."

Natalie flopped back down again and shut her eyes, "Probably. Is that a lot of money?"

"I can't say, I've never done a bounty job before," Matt replied with a shrug as he shoveled the gold back into the sack and stuck it away. "Still, with it and my remaining, I can pay for five more nights here. I can go poking around for more bounties tomorrow, or something."

"I don't suppose I'll be able to help, will I?" Natalie asked wistfully. "I feel guilty making you pay for everything."

Matt shot her a reassuring smile, "I can get the jobs and then you can help me do them, sound good?"

Natalie grinned, "Sure. In the meantime, though, I'm going to enjoy this wonderful bed." She stood up to tug the sheet down and slid under it with her back to the other bed. "'Night, Matt."

Matt shook his head with a fond smile, "Goodnight, Natz."

He stood up, folded Natalie's cloak, and moved it and her staff to the side table. With them moved, he sat down in the chair, pulled a cloth free from his bag, and drew his sword to clean it. As he worked the stains of combat from the blade, he thought about Anna. He wondered if there was some way he could get her free. On top of it being the morally right thing to do, he was willing to bet she could get them through the woods, and far earlier than the three weeks at the soonest that they'd have to wait otherwise.

With a sigh, Matt deemed his weapon clean enough and sheathed it again. He leaned it against the wall and turned his eyes out the window to look at the massive trunks of the trees, gray to his eyes in the darkness. There was no way he could earn enough money to free Anna. He supposed stealing her would work, but it would bring an endless amount of trouble down on him, her, and Natalie. Plus, regardless of how morally wrong it was to have a slave, Anna had been legally sold and bought, and he would be killed when he eventually got caught for freeing her.

The drakeling stood up with a frown on his face and closed the shutters to the room. The light in the room went out at the same time, and he turned to the bed. He toed his boots off and pulled the sheets back before lying down. As he shut his eyes, he dismally figured there was nothing he could really do for Anna. Shortly after, he fell asleep.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Poor Anna, stuck as a slave. Of course, since she's a main character, she gets to escape that life, probably next chapter. :P And there's Elmanil, I like writing exciteable children. They're fun. :3 Let me know if you liked the chapter, and I'll be back at some point!_


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N:_** _Ha, Hah! Chapter seven is already here! Enjoy!_

* * *

The next morning, Matt rolled sideways to face the sun, and fell clean off the bed with a yelp. The resulting thump jolted Natalie awake and she stared around for the source of the noise. Her blue eyes fell on Matt as he sat up into view on the other side of the bed, rubbing his head. His leg hit where he'd left his sword propped up and it fell over to whack his head. The half-elf giggled, despite her best efforts not to.

Matt shot her a look and said in a deadpan voice, "Yes, it was very funny. Ha, ha."

Natalie shook her head, still smiling, "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh." She snorted and added, "But it _was_ funny."

The blond grumbled and stood up. He stretched his arms over his head and his jaw cracked in a wide yawn. He lowered his arms to run a hand through his hair and frowned at the tangles. He flopped back on the bed and sighed with his eyes closed. "Gotta brush my hair," he muttered.

Natalie grinned, "Why not just cut it?"

Matt cracked an eye open and said, "You're welcome to try. Regular scissor don't work on it. I gave up on the idea of having short hair years ago. At least it's stopped growing finally."

The half-elf frowned, "Really? You can't cut it with scissors?"

Matt sat up and began digging in his bag for a comb as he replied, "Nope. My sword won't cut it either. It's nice as added protection for my head and neck, but it's a pain otherwise."

"Have you ever tried burning it off?" Natalie asked. She frowned as she realized how stupid a suggestion that was, "Actually, never mind. I doubt you want flames that close to your head. I know I wouldn't."

Matt snorted, "Yeah, I like my scalp unburned, thanks."

Natalie watched him work the knots out of his hair. The long blond strands glinted in the light as he combed it straight before braiding the ends beside his face to keep them out of his eyes. "It looks nice, at least," she offered with a smile.

Matt shot her a surprised look with slightly heated cheeks. He shook the expression away and mumbled, "Thanks." He was completely unused to compliments outside of his father and Lenth, and especially from women. Before she could figure out what had happened, or he could dwell on the fact, he went on, "I'm going to go see what breakfast here costs and ask about work to rent a room out."

Natalie watched him go with a mild amusement. She shook her head as she thought it was a cute reaction to a simple compliment. She tugged her fingers through her own hair, thankful that the strands were silky and took little effort to get to lie flat. Finally, she bound them back in a ponytail before she stood up and left the room.

In the main room, she spotted Matt chatting with Eralyn. A young woman with green hair, a gray tunic, and a bow stood not far away. The three glanced around when Natalie entered, and Matt waved her over. Eralyn smiled a greeting to her and stepped back to retrieve some water and fruit. Matt grinned and introduced her to the woman behind him.

"This is Anna," Matt said. He turned to glance over his shoulder to the other half-elf, "Anna, this is my friend Natalie. She's from Arthrena."

Natalie grinned and waved, "Hi, nice to meet you!"

Anna smiled uncertainly in return as she said, "Likewise. I heard you wanted to see some archery?"

"If you don't mind," Natalie agreed.

Matt spoke up, "She's just about to head out hunting and says we can come along if we're quiet. Eralyn says if we help out with some odd jobs like bringing the game back, and dishes, and so on, he'll let us borrow the room until we leave, and get two meals a day."

Natalie's eyes widened, "Really? Thank you so much!"

The man chuckled as he set some breakfast down in front of her, "It's a quiet season for rooms, so I have plenty of space. Besides, you two are quite nice, and I'd love to hear about Arthrena and the light dragons' lands. Food is plentiful here, too, so it's no burden." He turned his eyes to Anna, "Can I interest you in some fruit before you go?"

Anna's eyes widened and she shook her head, "No, that's kind, but I already ate."

Eralyn frowned, "Was it the usual slice of bread, wizened fruit and glass of water?" his frown deepened when Anna remained silent. He arched a brow and pointed to a seat, "Sit, I'll be right back with your food. I don't want you fainting while out hunting or something."

Anna shook her head with a small smile as she sat down, "You always say that and it hasn't happened once. Something small, please, or I won't eat it."

Matt plopped down across from her with a grin. "So how was archery with Elmanil yesterday?" he asked in a quiet voice.

Anna furtively glanced around as Natalie sat down beside them and sipped her water. "It went well. He's a quick learner and a complete natural with a bow," she finally replied just as softly. She frowned slightly as she added, "He'd probably be a master already if I could teach him for more than fifteen minutes at a time." Clearly, she was more comfortable when there were no possibilities of her masters overhearing her.

Natalie cocked her head, "How did you learn? And how long did it take?"

The half-elf looked surprised at her interest. "I picked it up watching others around the village. It's an inherent skill to almost all wood elves," she explained. She smiled as Eralyn came out from the store with a small bowl of sliced fruit and a ceramic cup of juice, "Eralyn gave me my first bow when he caught me watching the archers practice, and sent me to try to take a few shots. He's also the one who persuaded the masters to let me go hunt."

Eralyn smiled at her, "It took some doing, but I finally convinced them when I had Anna go out to snag me some deer for dinner and cooked it to perfection. They liked the fresh meal so much, they finally agreed. She's amazing with a bow, better than any I've ever seen."

Anna blushed at the praise and ducked her head down to eat the fruit. Before long, she'd devoured the food and stood up. "We need to get going if I'm going to be back in time," she announced. She hesitated and glanced at the dishes, "These'll keep until we get back, right?"

The innkeeper waved it off, "I'll take care of them. Matt's money is still good until midday. They can start earning their keep this evening. Yours will be repaid by bringing back something tasty. Happy hunting out there."

Matt grinned at the other two, "Lead, on, Anna!"

Anna seemed taken aback by his complete willingness to turn the lead over to a slave. Most visitors to Arbella either ignored her or demanded ridiculous tasks from her. Arabyn usually left her in charge of seeing to any guests' needs, so she'd expected to deal with the usual ordering around. Though, he kept Natalie as a friend, not a slave, so she supposed it was possible he was different. Her face cracked in the faintest of grins as she waved for them to follow.

Outside, Anna led them to the basket to the forest floor. She kept her eyes down and her grin faded when the elf manning the lift glared at her. The three piled into the lift and waited in silence as it lowered to the ground. Once there, Anna turned her head, listening to the woods. She sucked in a deep breath and opened her eyes with a bright smile. She loved being in the woods. It gave her an illusion of freedom for a short time.

"This way, and walk quietly," she said to the others.

Matt fell into the silent prowl he used when doing his own hunting. He watched Anna nod with approval and turn her eyes to Natalie who started tiptoeing. The drakeling let out a silent snort with a faint grin when Anna winced as Natalie stepped on a twig and it snapped. The mage looked embarrassed and stood stock-still.

"Er, how do I walk quietly?" Natalie asked with a blush.

Anna hesitated for a moment, unwilling to try correcting Natalie. When the other half-elf merely waited silently, she pulled in a silent breath. "Walk on the balls of your feet, and step with the outside of your foot first and let it slide to rest flat," she started hesitantly.

When Natalie merely nodded and tried it a few times, Anna gained confidence, "Okay, now just avoid dry leaves and branches, and you should be fine. Oh, and move slowly, and if I motion to stop, stop. Eyes are attracted to movement, and you might scare away the game."

Natalie nodded, "Got it."

They set out again, this time in near-silence. There were still a blunder here and there from Natalie, and occasionally Matt, but they were few and far between. Anna smiled as she scanned for tracks. It almost felt as though she were in an actual hunting party. The relaxed smiles on the others' faces made her feel as though she were among friends. For once, she felt like she belonged.

 **OOOOOO**

The three returned with four birds of different kinds, a wild pig, and a brace of hares. Anna was beaming as she listened to Matt and Natalie talk about the hunt. Matt commented that he had never been able to find that much game that quickly and was impressed with Anna's tracking abilities. Natalie was still in awe of the swift and precise shooting Anna had.

The half-wood elf had spotted a bird, but a chance change of the wind had alerted the animal to their presence. It had spread its wings to take off, but had gotten no further than that when an arrow through the head had taken it down. Natalie had been stunned at the second gap between being detected and the arrow striking with precision that had killed the animal.

The lift came to a halt and the three stepped off it. Almost instantly, Anna's mood dipped. She spotted the glare of the liftman and her own gaze dropped along with her smile. She shuffled past the elf with Matt and Natalie chatting behind her. It wasn't long before they noticed the change in their guide's behavior, though.

"You okay, Anna?" Natalie asked.

Anna shook herself and nodded as she murmured, "Fine, thanks."

Matt frowned, "Are you sure?" He hesitated before guessing, "It's the atmosphere up here, isn't it?"

Anna stiffened for a moment before relaxing and nodding again. "Yeah, I'd love to just stay in the forest forever. The animals don't look at me like I'm stupid and worthless," she murmured.

"Well, I don't think you're either of those things," Natalie sniffed. "If they can't see that you're a good person, then that's too bad for them."

Matt nodded as they stopped in front of the inn, "She's right, Anna. You're a good person, so don't let them convince you otherwise."

Anna shot them a weak smile, "Thanks. I have to go, now though. I'll take the pig, Eralyn can have the rest." She turned to go before pausing to ask, "Come hunting with me again tomorrow?"

Matt grinned, "Even though we scared off half the prey? Sure. See you tomorrow."

The half-elf beamed and turned to scamper off with the pig swinging from one arm. Natalie watched her go with a smile. She turned to follow Matt into the inn and handed over the hares she was carrying. Almost immediately, she and Matt were sent to start scrubbing dishes. The pair went without complaint, dutifully earning their room and board. As they worked, they described their home lands to Eralyn, who worked on cleaning and storing the game.

 **OOOOOO**

The next few days passed that way. In the mornings, Matt and Natalie would hunt with Anna. In the afternoons and evenings, they would do odd jobs for Eralyn. Once or twice, Matt joined Anna and Elmanil for their secret archery lessons. He was impressed by the young boy's skill with a bow. He learned Elmanil was only nine years old, and had known Anna for nearly his entire life. The boy confided that he wished he could order Anna to go, but she didn't actually answer to him, only to Arabyn and Alona.

The two older elves treated Matt politely, but both had a level of disapproval in their features after they found out his travel companion was a half-elf. They refused to speak directly to Natalie at all, and were short with Matt. But neither could claim that the guests were rude or disruptive, and they had promised that they would supply a guide as soon as possible. But while they had gained a disapproval of Matt and Natalie, their slave had an opposite response.

Anna seemed far happier now that she had some friends to hunt with. She knew they wouldn't be staying forever, so she cherished the time she had with them. She spent as much of her free time as possible hanging around the inn with them, Eralyn claiming he needed her tree-singing to repair a bunch of holes. The holes were certainly there, but he didn't tell that he'd been making them himself. He genuinely liked Anna, and this was just one more kindness he could offer her.

With the extra time spent around the inn and in the forests, the half-elf had taught Matt basic tracking, and taught Natalie some of the tricks she used to manipulate mana. The two half-elves traded information on what they knew of their magics. While Grand elves had massive stores of mana, and could feasibly use any type, Wood elves had better, more efficient control over natural energies. Anna, herself could use water, earth, and plants at will.

It was an early afternoon on Matt and Natalie's fifth day in Arbella when trouble finally hit. The pair was on the forest floor, enjoying the peace and occasional patch of sunlight. Matt had a basket sitting nearby of wild berries that Eralyn had wanted to make jam out of, but the drakeling was currently lying in a patch of sun, dozing. Natalie had a long line she'd been working on detangling. Elmanil had thought he could make a net out of it to catch bugs, unknowing that it was a clothing line. Natalie had volunteered to work the knots out.

Suddenly, Natalie jerked around with a sharp intake of breath from where she was focused on particularly nasty knot. Matt glanced up at her in confusion. The half-elf's eyes were narrowed for a moment, scanning the trees of the forest. She felt something off in the atmosphere.

"What's up, Natz?" Matt asked with a yawn, sitting up.

Natalie shook her head, "I don't know. Something feels wrong, but I can't tell what. There's so much mana in the air here, that I can't pinpoint what I'm feeling."

Matt's own eyes narrowed and he cast them about the clearing. He wasn't as sensitive to other magics as Natalie was aside from light, but he had to admit something felt wrong. It took him a moment before he realized what it was.

"There's no birds chirping, no fairies giggling, nothing. Even the wind seems to have stopped blowing," he realized aloud.

"Should we ask if-" Natalie's question was cut off by a series of screams and a wave of evil. Her face paled and she whispered, "It's the Blight, and a lot of it. I can feel it clearly now, and it's spreading really fast."

Matt jolted to his feet and twisted to look up at the village over their heads. The drakeling thought rapidly, trying to think of the best way to get back up. With the panic going on overhead, he doubted there would be anybody manning the lift for visitors. Finally, he nodded to himself and twisted to face Natalie. The half-elf was pale, but looked ready to help in any way that she could.

"I'm going to scale one of these trees with you on my back," Matt stated swiftly. "I'm sure there will be plenty of infected people, so I'm going to need your help up there."

Natalie looked startled, "Are you sure you can get both of us up there?"

Matt nodded grimly, "Definitely, but you'll need to hold on tight. Now let's go."

The half-elf nodded and as soon as Matt turned, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. As soon as she was settled, Matt sprang for one of the wide trunks. His claws dug into the bark and slid down before catching and holding him firm. He didn't stay there for long, though. He pushed off of the trunk with both legs and twisted in midair to cling to another tree, a little higher up than before. Again, he sprang off, back to the first trunk, scaling back to the village in this bounding climb.

Natalie pressed tightly against Matt's back with her heart in her throat. His method to get back up was effective, but terrifying. If he slipped, they would both go plummeting to the ground which was now far below. She could feel as the muscles in his shoulders and back worked to keep them moving. Every jump forced a small grunt of exertion from his chest, but he showed no signs of tiring.

Matt was warm, though, Natalie realized, trying to find something to focus on other than the several hundred foot drop below them. It was a pleasant warmth, she thought, likening it to the way his mana felt. She wondered if the extra body heat came from his light creature linage, or the fact that he'd been sitting in the sun. Either way, she found herself relaxing despite the danger. Then, suddenly, they were landing on the wooden walkway of Arbella.

Natalie slid off of Matt's back and turned her attention to the chaos of the city. The black shadows of the Blight writhed in many places. Elves ran from the corrupting shadows in a panic. Groups of fairies acted as their guides and protectors, using what little light magic they could to ward away the shadows. Several elves lay collapsed on the ground, writhing as the Shadow infected their minds and bodies.

Matt took no time recovering from the climb, instead focusing his magic on the nearest mass of shadows. A massive blast of light slammed into the black, melting the evil and preventing the spread. He gestured for Natalie to follow as he raced for the next spot. The half-elf nodded and dashed after him. Matt rapidly explained the plan as they ran.

"We'll split up and deal with the Blight first; you take the outskirts, I'll handle the houses. Once it's taken care of, we can focus on healing. Try and keep a head count of the victims, or get an elf to drag them to one place. Keep a ball of light near you at all times to slow the Blight's approach, and scream if you need help—I'll hear you," he said in a serious voice.

"Got it," Natalie said and split off, a ball of light trailing close behind her.

The half-elf came upon a large pocket of shadows in the juncture of a tree, slowly warping the wood to have strange spikes and turn black. She raised her staff and a massive orb of light surrounded the taint. The shadows melted away, and the tree returned to its regular shape. A group of elves who had been trapped behind it gaped at the half-elf. Their faces split into massive smiles and they cheered as she raced past for the next spot. One elf dropped down to run alongside her, asking how he could help.

Natalie shot a glance at him and panted, "We need everyone who's been struck with Gloom Fever in one place. Matt and I will help them when we're done with the attack. Get as many helpers as you can." She caught his nod in her peripheral before he split off.

Meanwhile, Matt headed into the thick of the houses. Light swirled around him in a protective barrier as he ran. He barely glanced at pockets of shadows, merely directed his mana to take care of them. Elves, both those infected with Gloom Fever and those that weren't trickled out of the houses where they had been trapped. Matt shouted for them to gather in one place for healing later, and kept moving. He skidded around a trunk and launched himself off to snag a branch and flipped himself to a higher platform. There, he kept eradicating the Blight, and ordering people to safety.

A half hour later, and the infected areas dwindled to next to nothing. Matt wiped sweat from his brow and cast an eye about the village. He could see Natalie's light magic decimating a small patch of shadow near the entrance of the village and nodded. He was infinitely grateful for her help and skill at the moment. He would never have been able to stop the assault on his own. Suddenly, a hand was tugging on his arm and he whipped around to see Alona.

"Please, Elmanil and Eyrena are trapped in the top floor of our house, and have been for nearly the entire attack. You have to save them," she pleaded. "Arabyn tried, but he won't be able to do it alone."

Matt's eyes widened and he was gone in the next second. He raced through the village, headed for the center where the leader's house was, Alona dashing some ways behind him. He caught a glimpse of Natalie, but didn't slow as he dashed across a bridge and up the ramp to the house. There, he saw Arabyn, clearly infected with by the blight, stagger out of the house. The elf looked up and saw Matt. Relief shone in his eyes a moment before he collapsed.

The drakeling cursed and leapt over his body. He entered the house and listened. From above, he could hear crying and he swiftly located the stairs, following the crying. He slammed his way past a door and saw the writhing shadows covering nearly the entire space of the room. A single bubble of pale light sat in the center, coming from a small plant.

Elmanil sat curled against Anna's side inside the bubble, crying, his younger sister was bundled in his arms, sleeping, despite the chaos around her. The half-elf had her eyes closed in concentration with sweat beading her face, mouth moving as she sang a soft melody. Black veins crept along her skin, showing she had already been infected, and that it was progressing rapidly as she focused her body's defenses into their protection. Still, she kept her magic going. Her eyes opened when Matt suddenly engulfed the entire room with light, dispelling the shadows. Elmanil stopped crying and stared at Matt in awe as the light vanished along with the Blight.

"Matt!" Elmanil said in a teary voice.

Matt nodded, breath coming in sharp pants. He moved to kneel in front of them, "Are you okay?"

Elmanil merely started to sniffle, but Anna nodded slowly, "They're fine." Her eyes were glazed and tired looking.

"You're not, though!" the boy blurted. "You shouldn't have pushed me aside! Now you're going to die, and they won't help you, and, and…"

"Shh, I'll help her, promise," Matt hushed.

The drakeling heard someone come running into the room, but focused on his healing magic. He pushed as much as was safe into Anna's body and felt the darkness of the Blight fade from her. He opened his eyes and watched as the half-elf gave a shuddering sigh. "Better?" he asked quietly.

Anna nodded, "Much, thank you."

Matt grinned and stood up, "You're welcome, and thank you for keeping Elmanil safe. That was a brilliant plan, boosting a glow plant's capabilities to protect you both." He turned his attention to whoever had entered behind him and saw Natalie standing in the door. "How many infected are we looking at?" he asked quietly, praying for a small number. He was beat.

Natalie's lips pursed, "They're still gathering and counting, but I counted thirty-seven."

Matt's heart fell, "Thirty-seven?"

"Can you not heal that many?" Anna asked quietly.

"If I hadn't spent the last half hour running around using my magic to stop the Blight, I could," Matt muttered with a shake of his head.

Natalie hesitated and said, "I used mostly outside sources for mana. I could heal them if you make sure I don't screw up."

Matt's eyes brightened, "Perfect! Anna, Elmanil, go let Alona know that her kids are okay. She's probably just outside with Arabyn."

Anna stood up, "Sure. Good luck, you two."

She and Elmanil filed out of the room. Natalie watched them go, and then turned her eyes on Matt. Her brow furrowed as she realized how drained he looked. His face was pale, and looked pinched from exhaustion and nerves. It was the first time she'd seen him so tired. Normally, he looked ready for anything, but now he looked ready to drop.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asked quietly.

Matt gave her a tired smile, "I'll have to be. I might decide the nearest patch of sun is my new bed when we're done, though." He walked past Natalie and headed for the stairs.

Natalie followed close behind him with a frown still on her face. It occurred to her that Matt might not have such good grasp on when he needed to rest. Although she supposed rest was a luxury that would have to wait until the elves infected with Gloom Fever had been treated. If they were left as they were for too long, the infection would be irreversible and spread. At least she would be doing the healing, Matt would merely be directing her to increase or decrease her mana flow.

Just outside the front door, Elmanil stood embracing his mother; Eyrena carefully nestled in the woman's lap, still sleeping. Anna stood awkwardly off to one side, watching the three. Arabyn was still collapsed on the ground nearby. Matt moved to roll him over. He gestured to Natalie to join him, and when she did, he began to talk.

"Cleansing the Blight is a little different from regular healing. It's as much an attack as it is a healing. First off, you're not focusing on any one spot, but the body as a whole. You'll be attacking any presence of the Blight in the body, and healing the places tainted by it," Matt explained. He caught Natalie's nervous look and added, "It's really simple. Light magic doesn't like dark magic, so it will work to destroy any traces basically on its own. And of course, I'll be here keeping an eye on your progress."

Alona looked over with a light of concern and distaste in her eyes, "She's never healed the Blight before?"

Matt shot the elf a sour look, "No, but give her two minutes and she'll change that. She'll be just as skilled as I am."

Natalie snorted, and muttered, "At least one of us thinks so."

"Can't you heal him?" Alona pressed. "I don't want to trust my husband to a half-elf."

"I can't even heal myself at this point, so Natalie is your only chance. If you want your husband saved, then you'd better get over your racist ideas right now, or hope Arthrena can send help in time," Matt told Alona flatly, a cold edge to his words. "I think you'll find Natalie will do just as well as any full elf. And if you think that all the ones infected right now will hold on until pure-blood help arrives, then you're a fool."

The elven woman jerked back as though Matt had struck her. She nodded silently and watched as Matt turned to Natalie. He nodded to her and watched as the half-elf took a deep breath. A golden light suffused the infected man on the ground. Matt intently tracked the light magic as Natalie worked to heal. He murmured to use a little more and felt the mana swell to the proper levels. A few seconds later, and Arabyn shot upright with wide eyes.

"Good work, Natz," Matt said with a tired grin. He stood up and motioned for her to follow, "We've got a lot of work to do, so let's go."

Alona silently watched them leave, before turning tear-filled eyes to Arabyn. She set Eyrena down and sprang forwards to wrap him in a hug. The man returned the embrace with a dazed look in his eyes. He stared after the pair who had saved him in amazement, thinking back to how coolly he'd treated them the entire time they'd stayed in the village. He shook his thoughts off and turned his eyes to his family.

"Is everyone here okay?" he asked with a worried voice.

Elmanil was the one who responded, back to his cheerful self, "Yup! Thanks to Anna, Matt, and Natalie! They were so cool, you should have seen them! Anna kept me and Eyrena safe with a plant, and then, just when I thought we were done for, Matt burst in all super glowy! And then he healed Anna, and Natalie healed you, and they were _awesome_! Now they're gonna go save everyone else!"

Arabyn turned considering eyes on Anna, who merely looked down with a light blush. The elf frowned in consideration before nodding. He stood and bowed to Anna, "Thank you for saving my children, Anna."

Anna looked startled at the show of respect and use of her actual name for the first time ever. She nodded and mumbled, "You're welcome, sir."

"So how many are wounded or infected, Alona?" Arabyn asked.

Alona made a helpless gesture with her hands, "I'm not sure. I saw several elves gathering the wounded, but I don't have any numbers."

Anna spoke up quietly, "Natalie said she counted thirty-seven, but that there are likely more."

"Thirty-seven, you say?" Arabyn said with dismay. "How will Matt heal them all?"

"Matt isn't going to be the one healing them," Alona said quietly. "The half-elf is in charge of that."

Elmanil piped up again with a pout on his face, "Her name's Natalie, Ma."

The woman glanced at him, "I'm aware of that, sweetie."

"So why won't you use it?" Elmanil asked in a startling show of understanding. "You never use Anna's name, either. Anna saved me, and Natalie saved Da. It isn't fair to call them slave, or girl, or half-elf, or whatever."

Anna winced as Arabyn fixed a look on her. To her surprise, he nodded and said, "You're right, Elmanil. I'm a little ashamed to need a child to open my eyes to that fact. We will use a half-elf's name from now on."

Alona's eyes widened, but she showed no signs of objection. Instead, a wave of shame filled her. Two near-complete strangers had saved her husband, one of which was a half-elf, and Anna had indeed saved her children's lives, and she had continued to treat them as less. She stood and bowed to Anna, "Thank you for your aid, Anna."

The half-elf was feeling very uncomfortable by this point. She was used to being seen and not heard unless she did something wrong. It was a nice change, and one she hoped would stay; even though she remained a slave, it would be nice to have a little respect. She turned her eyes to where she could see Matt and Natalie on a platform below, healing the elves of the city. She sent them a silent thanks before turning to Arabyn.

"I'm exhausted may I go rest now?" Anna asked. She turned and retreated when he nodded. She was indeed dead tired. She'd never had to sustain a magic for that long before, and that, coupled with the fact that she'd felt her life slipping away to the taint, made her feel as though she could sleep for the rest of her life. As soon as her face hit her worn pillow, she was out.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt's eyes swept across the dozens of elves lying on the ground before him and Natalie, needing healing. He estimated that there must be nearly fifty of them and he felt a rush of panic fill him. There was no way Natalie would be able to help all of them on her own. She was new to magic, and had only barely begun to grasp healing properly. He was too tired to help with any but the easiest cases.

Natalie sensed his dismay and tapped his shoulder. When the blond looked down she gave him a bright smile, "We can do this, Matt."

Matt's own face twitched into a faint smile, "Yeah. I'll take care of the easiest ones once I think you've got a handle on the proper levels of magic. I'll probably be recovered enough by then."

The half-elf nodded and followed him to the first of the elves. She knelt down and focused her mana and the mana of the world around her with Matt watching and telling her to increase or decrease her magic. Natalie's healing magic swept through the elf's body and within thirty seconds, she was done. They didn't pause, but moved onto the next victim.

After a dozen or so cases, Matt stopped telling her what to do. He still kept careful watch over her, however, but she seemed to have finally gotten the hang of healing. Matt felt a flash of pride for her as she finished the case on her own. Natalie didn't even seem to have noticed she'd needed no guidance as she moved to the next elf. Matt once again remained silent, and mentally applauded when Natalie caught her own fluctuation and fixed it with swift certainty.

"Okay, Natz, I think you'll be okay on your own now," Matt commented after she had healed another two.

Natalie's eyes widened, "You sure?"

Matt nodded, "Definitely. I haven't been guiding you at all for the last few, and you don't even seem to be thinking on your task while you work. You've hit a proficiency point, so you'll be fine for healing on your own. Of course, feel free to call me over if you think something is wrong."

The half-elf's eyes sparkled with pride as she nodded, "Okay, don't push yourself too much, though."

"I'll try," Matt agreed as he stood up. He moved some distance away and began working on a different elf.

From the edge of the area, Arabyn watched the two young half-creatures work to heal everyone. A couple of elves worked with them, holding down the patients that had begun to thrash in the grips of madness from the Gloom Fever. Both healers looked tired, but they continued to work with an admirable determination. Finally, Natalie healed the last elf and beamed with pride and joy as Matt walked over.

"Excellent job, Natz," Arabyn heard Matt say with a tired, but wide smile. "I guess the silver lining here is that you got a ton of practice, huh?"

Natalie gave a tired chuckle, "I guess so. Can we go sleep now? I think we've earned a nap."

Matt nodded, looking about ready to simply fall asleep where he stood. He waited until Natalie staggered to her feet before they turned to walk back to the inn together. Neither one noticed the appraising look they were receiving from Arabyn. The elf's eyes ran across the crowd of rejoicing, alive, and healthy elves.

A wave of gratitude washed over Arabyn, and he sent a silent thanks to the gods for the aid of Matt and Natalie. He was under no delusions that had the pair not been here, everyone in the village would have been claimed by the Blight. They would have all been wiped out, and likely so would have the returning traders. The elf nodded to himself, coming to a decision. He owed them both a debt of gratitude he could never truly repay, but he would attempt to do so. And he knew just how to start.

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 ** _A/N:_** _And they have successfully earned the respect of the head of the village, and changed his own personal worldview! Leave me a review, and I'll be back when I'm done with the next chapter!_


	8. Chapter 8

**_A/N:_** _And here I am, with chapter eight! I've been having trouble staying focused on my stories here on FanFiction. There have been so many plot bunnies, tugging my attention every which way that does not lead to any of my posted works. Please forgive the slow updates while I attempt to lure them back with carrots._ _There are a couple of Easter Eggs in here: one will likely be very obvious to most of you, and one that probably wont be so obvious. See if you can find them!_ _Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

It was late the next morning before Matt and Natalie finally emerged from their rented room at the Resting Nest. Both felt fully rested and ready to set to work for the day. In the main room of the inn, they saw a number of elves already there for the lunch hour. To their surprise, none of the elves gave either of them condescending looks. Instead, many of them called cheerful greetings to the pair that they hesitantly returned. Eralyn waved them over with a wide grin.

"Good morning," the innkeeper said cheerfully.

Matt grinned back, and slid into a seat at the counter, "Morning. How's the village doing?"

Eralyn's grin broadened, "Everyone is already up and about to my understanding. You two are the talk of the town." His eyes moved across the crowd of elves before moving back to the pair in front of him, and he added in a softer tone, "They've had an about face on their attitudes towards you two. About half a dozen have already offered to pay for your stay here, and a half dozen more have left a fair sum of money for you. They're all claiming we'd be dead without you, and they're right." He tugged out a large bag of gold and slid it across the wooden counter.

Natalie flushed and mumbled, "We didn't do it for gold."

"But we'll take it anyway," Matt hastily added, snagging the gold. He grinned and nudged Natalie, "We need every piece, you know. But you're right that we only did it because it was the right thing to do."

Eralyn was smiling, but before he could speak, a small hand was tugging at Matt's arm. When the drakeling turned to look, he saw Elmanil looking up at him with a smile and expectant eyes, "Da says he needs to talk to you."

Matt blinked in surprise, but stood up with a nod, "Okay. I'll be right back, Natz."

"He needs to talk to Natalie, too," Elmanil added before Natalie could reply.

The pair exchanged surprised looks. The entire time they'd stayed there, the elves hadn't once asked for Natalie, choosing instead to pretend she didn't exist. Still, Natalie stood up as well, and followed along behind Matt as Elmanil bounce ahead and out the door. They followed the elven boy across the bridges and up the twisting walkway to his house. Standing out front were Arabyn, Alona, and Anna. The half-wood elf looked about as confused as Matt and Natalie felt, as she was usually out in the woods hunting by this time. Her clothing was also different, not loose and ragged, but fit her body well and was obviously new.

Matt bowed to the elves and flashed a smile at Anna as he said, "You're all looking well."

Arabyn returned the bow and said with a smile, "Thanks in no small part to you two."

Alona bowed as well and said, "Thank you for saving us. I apologize for my horrid behavior towards you when you were trying to help, and during your stay here. I hope you can find it in yourselves to forgive me. Especially you, Natalie; our treatment of you has been most abhorrent."

Natalie hesitantly returned the bow and mumbled, "You're welcome, and it was nothing different than I'm used to."

"But that does not make it right," Arabyn cut in firmly. He gestured Anna forwards and said in a level tone, "We will be changing how our people see and treat half-elves. To begin with that, we wish to entrust Anna to your care."

Matt's, Natalie's and Anna's eyes widened with shock. The half-wood elf looked about ready to faint as she stared at her former master. Elmanil let out a squeal of delight and tackled Anna with a hug, cheering about how she was free. Anna slowly returned the hug, still in shock. Suddenly, she shook her head as her expression changed from shock to confusion.

"But, but it doesn't work like that," Anna mumbled in a low, confused tone. "I can't be freed, even by you, sir."

"Arabyn, not sir," Arabyn corrected firmly, but then sighed and nodded. "Anna speaks truly. A slave cannot simply be freed from their servitude without meeting very stringent conditions and having more gold than the entire village combined has."

Matt's face fell, "What?"

Alona nodded and quietly explained, "A slave has to marry someone who is already free, and has never been a slave. Even then, the free man or woman must pay an enormous fee to have the slave rebranded to show their freedom. Any slave found somewhere without their master's permission—and they will know if you lie—is taken to a holding area until their master can be found and the slave returned."

"Then how can she go with us?" Natalie asked. Her face twisted suddenly and she added, "Unless she'll only be temporarily in our custody."

"No, I have a different plan," Arabyn said seriously. He held his hand out to pass over a leather folder stamped with a fork of lightning, "These are Anna's slave documents. They are the only copy in the world, and will prove that you own her, Matt. I have signed everything over to your name. Keep them on you, and Anna will be able to stay with you. I have the upmost confidence that she can get you through the Drennea Woods, and aid your quest. "

Matt hesitated as he looked at the documents. His eyes were filled with reluctance as he muttered, "I don't want Anna as a slave." He glanced sideways at Anna, who looked crushed, and he sighed before accepting the folder, "But I know that she'll be happier with us, and this is a far better solution than anything else." He met Arabyn's eyes and said in a serious and grateful tone, "Thank you for this. I'm so glad you're willing to change your view."

"And we're glad you were here to change it for us," Alona said softly. She bowed once more and said, "May the spirits of the trees grant you all safe passage and protect you from the Blight."

Matt, Natalie, and Anna bowed as well. Elmanil stepped forwards and wrapped Anna in another hug.

"I'm going to practice my archery every day while you're gone, so be sure to come back and see how much I improved," Elmanil mumbled into Anna's waist.

Anna knelt down and hugged the boy back, whispering, "I will, I promise. I bet by the time I'm back, you'll be the best archer Arbella has ever seen. Thank you so much for being my friend here, Elmanil. I'll really miss you." She let go, ruffled his hair, and stood up straight. Then, she turned to Matt and Natalie with shining eyes and asked, "Can we stop by the Resting Nest before we go? I want to say good bye to Eralyn."

"Of course, we need to pick up our stuff and say good bye as well," Matt agreed with a smile. He turned back to the elves and bowed one last time, "Thank you for everything. I doubt the Blight will attack here again, but please consider sending a message to Queen Leanala requesting a healer be posted here."

Arabyn nodded, "Of course. Good luck and stay safe, you three. And if you ever need a place to rest and are nearby, please come here; we will do what we can to aid you."

Matt nodded back and turned to lead the way to the inn. Natalie walked on his right and Anna on his left. All three of them were beaming with joy. Anna was now a part of their team, the village's views were shifting dramatically, and they could continue their quest. The three entered the inn, which was now nearly empty, and saw Eralyn standing behind the counter, stacking a few cleaned dishes on a shelf. He turned and beamed a greeting when he saw the three, and waved them to sit at the counter.

"Welcome back," Eralyn said cheerfully, setting down a platter of leftover food from the lunch rush for them to dig in to.

Anna grinned and excitedly blurted out, "Arabyn turned me over to Matt and Natalie. I'm as free as I can get!"

The elf froze in place, staring at her before his face split in an impossibly wide smile, "Congratulations, Anna! That's amazing!" He turned his eyes to Matt and Natalie, both of whom were beaming, "It was your actions that led to this. Thank you so much."

Matt's grin faltered some before widening again and he said, "I wish we could free her all the way, but that's basically impossible, apparently. Obviously, she'll be treated as a free person, and we won't be mentioning her status to anyone. Anna's going to help us through Drennea Woods and to stop the Blight." He hesitated and then glanced at Anna, adding, "Unless you don't want to help with the second part. You can come back here when we're through the woods, if you want. I'm sure Arabyn or Eralyn will let you stay with them."

Anna was shaking her head before he even finished his sentence, "No, I want to help you. Other than the fact that you saved my life, you're my friends. I want to help if I can. If nothing else, I can track game for food."

Natalie piped up with a smile and added, "That would be helpful. I sometimes think Matt could eat an entire cow by himself and still be hungry."

"I would not. Maybe," Matt protested with a laugh. He grinned at Anna and said, "Then I guess you're stuck with us. We're glad to have you."

Eralyn had been watching them interact with a small smile. Anna looked positively ecstatic at the sudden turn of events. Suddenly, the elf spoke up and said, "Well, I can't help you much from here on out, but I can offer a few old items of mine. I'll be right back."

The three watched him go with confused looks before shrugging and turning their attention to the food. Matt and Natalie ate ravenously, having slept through dinner the night before, breakfast that morning, and were called away before lunch. Anna watched them with an amused grin as she nibbled on a piece of fruit, having already eaten a lunch far larger than she was used to. Finally, Matt let out a content sigh as he swallowed the last chunk of bread.

"I'm going to miss Eralyn's cooking," Matt said with his eyes shut and a smile.

Eralyn chuckled as he re-entered the room, carrying a long, bundle, wrapped in brown paper, "It's always nice to hear someone appreciates my hard work. I'm going to miss having you two helping with the aftermath of cooking." He held the bundle out to Anna and said, "I want you to take these with you. I'm sure they will be of use."

Anna accepted the gift with wide eyes. She carefully unwrapped the paper to reveal a beautifully carved bow. The grip was of well-worn leather, and the arms were marked with elegant swirls. The wood hummed with magic beneath her fingers, and was finished with a matte polish. It was a fine weapon, finer than any other she'd ever seen. A pouch dropped out of the paper, and she bent to scoop it up, studying it with a confused look.

"It's a magic bag, that'll hold just about anything you want in it without getting bigger or heavier," Matt explained with an appreciative glance at Eralyn. "They're worth a lot of money. Where'd you get it, and that nice bow?"

Eralyn smiled and said, "I used to be an adventurer like you three, until I settled down to start my inn. During those days, I gathered many things in my travels, most of which I no longer have aside from that pouch and bow. That bow was with me the entire time, and was my most trusted companion. You will never need arrows, nor need to worry about snapping strings so long as you have that bow, Anna; I hope it will keep you safe as it did for me. Good luck out there, and definitely come back to visit someday."

Anna's eyes were still wide as she looked up at him. Suddenly, she sprang up and threw her arms around the elf with the bow in hand, "Thank you so much for this, and everything else while I've been here. You and Elmanil are the greatest parts of this entire city. I'll take excellent care of this bow and bag, and when I come back, I'll have tons of stories to share and something to repay your kindness."

The elf returned her hug tightly and said, "There's no need for any of that. Just stay safe, and hunt me something tasty when you return. We'll be missing your daily fresh catches."

Anna pulled back and wiped her arm across her eyes as she nodded, "I will, but I suspect Elmanil will be helping you before long. Can you help him with his archery since I won't be here? And make sure he doesn't hurt himself with improper form? And teach him how to properly stalk animals? And-"

Eralyn laughed and cut her off, "I will, I will, promise. Now get going! The day's still plenty young enough for you three to get started." He held his hand out for Matt to shake, and gave Natalie a brief hug, "You three keep an eye out for each other. We'll be cheering for your success and praying for your safety."

The three beamed and waved as they turned to head for the door. Once outside, Anna scampered ahead to the basket lift. Natalie and Matt walked behind her with chuckles, glad to see Anna so excited and happy. Most of the elves they passed were not overly friendly to the half-wood elf, but neither were they openly rude or aggressive. A few, however, waved a greeting and called out their thanks to Anna for saving Elmanil, or to Matt and Natalie for saving the entire village.

The elf manning the basket lift wished them a safe journey, and lowered them to the forest floor. Anna was practically bursting from excitement as they descended. As soon as they hit the ground, she lunged out with a cheerful laugh and grinned back over her shoulder at her friends. Matt and Natalie grinned back. Each of them was filled with an immense feeling of happiness and excitement.

"So, which way to get through the woods?" Natalie finally asked, still grinning, but knowing they needed to focus.

Anna shrugged, "Depends on where you want to go. Where's our destination?"

"Fal'ratharn, the fire dragons' volcano. They have the next artefact we need," Matt replied.

Natalie started and looked a little nervous, "Wait, you don't already have the artefact from the dragons?"

Matt shook his head, "No, it was entrusted to the fire dragons. I've been told the reasoning behind that is that there are more of them than other types of dragons. A different person mentioned that it's actually because they won it in battle. Whatever the reason, they have the artefact, so we'll have to go there to retrieve it."

Anna nodded, "Got it, then let's go. Stay close by me no matter what, and you'll be fine. If you do get separated, stay _exactly where you are._ I can find you again if you get lost, but it'll take more time to retrieve you if you end up in the clutches of some of the creatures in the woods; you'll be safer if you stay where you are."

Matt and Natalie each nodded. Anna returned their nods and gestured for them to follow. She led them through the thick trunks of the trees, deeper into the forest. For a long while, light pierced the canopy of leaves, but as they went further, the patches of light became few and far between, leaving the forest floor in a constant gloom. The underbrush was practically nonexistent aside from large mushrooms. But despite the clearer path, Anna slowed their pace down. Her head constantly turned, but her eyes weren't actually searching for anything. She was listening to the trees, finding the safest and quickest path through the woods.

A warbling growl suddenly split the air, and Matt drew his sword with a soft metallic hiss. Natalie readied her staff, and Anna raised her bow. The drakeling's head jerked back to look up, and he brought his sword up in time to catch a shape as it dropped off of a tree branch. He flung the beast aside, and it twisted in midair to land on its feet before lunging forwards again. The monster had long, muscular limbs leading to large paws with long fingers ending in hooked claws. Its body was stocky in comparison to its legs, and was covered in a fine grey fur. Its eyes were a gleaming yellow and set far apart on its long face, well back from its mouth which was lined with needle-like fangs. Muscles rippled as it moved, and it was almost as tall as Matt.

"A shirak," Anna hissed as she pulled back an arrow that had simply appeared as soon as she placed her hands on the string.

The arrow flew into the beast's shoulder, causing it to stumble. A crackle of lightning arced out from Natalie's staff, causing the shirak to collapse as its muscles spasmed. Matt lunged forwards to run the beast through, only to twist away as claws lashed out. The drakeling hissed as the claws caught his arm and blood splattered against the ground. Another arrow from Anna slammed into the shirak's throat, finally killing it. The three lowered their weapons, and eyed the dead beast.

"Well, that thing isn't something I'd like to run into alone," Matt commented with a wry grin.

Anna nodded, "They're one of the top predators in the forest. We should move, its blood will attract other creatures, and I'd rather be gone before anything else shows up."

Matt nodded and waved for Anna to take the lead, only to glance over when Natalie spoke.

"What about your arm, Matt? We should heal that," the half-grand elf said.

Matt had forgotten about the scratch, and glanced down at it. Already the wounds were closing off and he shrugged, "It'll be healed in a few minutes, but I suppose my blood won't seem any less attractive here." A second later, and the mark was healed with a small glow of magic.

The three started walking again, this time wary of potential threats over their heads. The next few hours passed without major incident. Most of the creatures they saw were herbivores, and either watched the party with curiosity, or fled into the shadows at their approach. The only other combat they saw were a group of Shren. The five rat-like creatures were simple to take down, and none of them sustained any more injuries. Anna called a halt when the light coming through the trees was all but gone.

"We'll stop here for the night," Anna said, peering up at the branches overhead.

Matt nodded. Although he could see perfectly well, he knew the same was not true for the two half-elves in the group. Still, he glanced around warily, uncomfortable with sleeping in such an open area where dangerous creatures lurked. "I'll take first watch," he volunteered.

Anna glanced at him and shook her head, "No need. I can sing the plants to defend us while we sleep. We'll be safe in this tree here." She gestured to a large tree with smooth bark and branches not too far out of reach.

Natalie eyed the tree with doubt, "How will we avoid falling out?"

"Don't roll in your sleep?" Matt suggested with a grin.

"Ha, ha," Natalie said in a flat tone. "But seriously: I doubt I'll manage to get any sleep while worrying about falling out in the middle of the night."

"Well, you're welcome to sleep on the ground, but I'm sure something will notice you," Anna suggested in a dry voice.

Natalie nodded, "Yeah, I'll take falling over being eaten any day. How do we get up?"

Anna was already climbing the tree, using small nobs in the wood as foot holds to get her high enough to snag a branch. She sat down against the trunk and hummed a short tune to coax a branch into bending down for the others to get on. Matt grabbed Natalie's wrist and dragged her forwards. The half-grand elf went reluctantly and soon all of them were balancing on the branches. Matt clambered to a slightly higher branch and settled down in the fork were it met the trunk. Natalie cautiously edged down the branch she was on until reaching the trunk which she used to brace herself as she turned to lean against it. Once there, she nodded to herself.

"This isn't too bad, actually," Natalie commented. "The branch is really wide."

Matt's voice came from overhead, "Good to know. See you in the morning, guys."

Anna had been singing a soft song under her breath to ensure the tree would defend them if it came to it. With their defenses secured, she leaned back and shut her eyes, "G'night." She soon fell asleep, perfectly comfortable with sleeping in a tree.

Natalie glanced up at where she knew Matt was and asked quietly, "Hey Matt?"

"What's up?" Matt asked, equally quietly.

"Do you know if all dragons act the same? Like do light dragons have different customs from fire dragons?" Natalie asked.

Matt was silent for a moment before replying, "Well, I was told that some types of dragons are quicker to anger than others, but overall they all act pretty much the same. They don't care much for hierarchy and beliefs past strength. Why?"

Natalie shrugged, though she knew Matt couldn't see it, "Just curious, I guess. I was wondering if we'd have to worry about their customs, but I guess not." She let out a soft yawn and tugged her cloak closer around herself for warmth as she mumbled, "See you tomorrow, Matt."

Matt didn't reply, but could tell Natalie was already falling asleep. It was true that he knew enough about dragon customs to avoid insulting them in conversation and mannerisms, but it would be a moot point when they got there. Any dragon would know at first glance that he is a drakeling, and while he doubted they would turn him away what with his message from Lumen, that didn't necessarily mean they would agree to help him. He expected to have to prove his strength in some way before the fire-dragon council would even begin to consider speaking to him. And then there was another problem.

His cover as having no idea of his lineage would be gone as soon as they met a dragon. There would be no way to hide the truth from his two friends once a dragon revealed his secret. Matt blew out a sigh and looked down at where he could see Anna and Natalie sleeping. He would have to tell them the truth soon, and hope his actions thus far would be enough to convince them that he was okay to be around. Anna probably wouldn't be too hard to sway, as she clearly was very grateful of his all but freeing her; especially if he explained his case calmly. Natalie, he figured, would be the hard one to convince. She had a longstanding and deep-seated fear and hatred of drakelings, and he knew his few actions likely wouldn't have been enough to convince her he wasn't going to repeat what had happened to her father. He just hoped that maybe she would be willing to listen to reason—perhaps give him a chance to prove himself in her eyes—before judging him.

Matt let out another sigh, and resigned himself to speaking with them at some point before they reached Fal'ratharn. With any luck, they would be willing to continue to trust him, and not fear him too much. If not, then he would have to turn Anna over to Natalie and bid them both goodbye—as much as that would hurt. His eyes drifted to Anna, and he wondered, in an attempt to avoid thinking about worst-cases, if there wasn't some other way to free her. He had her documents, and she didn't act very slave-like. He wondered if it would be possible to simply burn the evidence and be done with it.

The drakeling filed the thought away, resolving to suggest it tomorrow, and shut his eyes. They had a long way to go to Fal'ratharn, and he would need sleep to be ready to face whatever tomorrow might bring. He pushed any thoughts that might keep him awake with the ease of long practice, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _And the quest is back in motion! Hooray! There will probably be one more chapter in the forest, and then maybe we'll introduce Lance, finally. Leave me a review, and I'll be back whenever I get it done.  
_


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N:_** _And on the 163_ _rd_ _day, She said, let there be a new chapter. And so a new chapter finally graced the story, and The Authoress threw Herself on Her reader's mercy, apologizing profusely for the span of days since the last update._

 _Sorry, felt like being a drama llama for a moment. XD So, yeah, I'm not dead, nor am I dropping this story. I just happen to be having some writer's ADHD. And work has been sucking, so I come home too tired to write all the wonderful ideas I have during the day as I'm bored folding clothes. But I finally gained the energy and drive to write this chapter. The next one is almost all done, already, so it shouldn't be long in coming out. Enjoy!_

 ** _Guest:_** _Yeah, I changed the elves reaction up slightly from how I had originally written it because it seemed way too unreasonable to have them all suddenly love/accept half-elves all of a sudden, no matter the actions taken. Also, artefact is the British spelling, and is just my random quirk coming through. Don't ask how, when, or why I started writing British spellings, because I have no answer for you. I kept it because I think artefact just looks cooler and more arcane than artifact. :P_

 ** _Anonymous:_** _*face palm* Well, now I wish I had made Lance a half-dwarf. That fits his character so well. Sadly, I'm a dum-dum, so he will not be a half-dwarf, and I've written a lot for him already, so he won't be changed. There will be dwarves later on (duh, since they have one of the artefacts), and he will get along swimmingly with them, but he is not part dwarf himself._

 ** _Billy:_** _I hope I didn't make you too nervous with the late update. (._.;)_

* * *

The morning started abruptly for Natalie: she rolled off of the branch she'd been sleeping on. The sudden lurching sensation jerked her wide awake, and her eyes flew wide as she let out a short scream. An object suddenly wrapping around her waist and halting her fall cut off her cry with a choked huff. She felt herself be lifted back up, and looked down to see a branch wrapped around her waist.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked frantically as he helped Natalie onto the branch he was seated. His blue eyes were wide as he searched for any wounds on her arms and legs, and prodded her back.

Natalie nodded shakily, and brushed Matt's hands off with a light flush. "I'm fine, just a little shaken," she promised.

Anna lightly dropped down to their branch with an arched brow, and mildly said, "Well, good thing I asked the tree to look out for you. Are you sure you're okay?" At Natalie's nod, she gestured to the ground, and asked, "You guys ready to go since we're up? We should be out of the forest today."

The other two nodded and followed behind Anna as she dropped out of the tree from branch to branch, albeit with much more care. Once on the ground, they broke out a breakfast of fruits and dried meats to eat while they walked. Anna took the lead, munching on a ripe apple, her eyes scanning the thick trees for trouble as she followed an invisible trail. Matt and Natalie walked a foot or so behind her, also keeping an eye out for trouble.

Suddenly, Matt spoke up, "So, Anna, can we just burn your slave documents and declare you free?"

Anna stopped walking with tensed shoulders at the sudden, surprising question. Finally, she shook her head. "No, don't do that," she said firmly.

"Why not? Would it not work? They're the only copy, right?" Natalie asked curiously.

Anna's response was to reach one arm up to the neckline of her shirt. She tugged the fabric down over her shoulder to reveal a black mark burned into her skin in the shape of a lightning bolt—the same as the one on the leather folder Matt had received the day before. It was about three inches in length from tip to tip, and was raised from the skin slightly.

"All slaves are branded before sale," Anna said quietly as she pulled her shirt back up to cover the ugly scar. She turned to meet Matt's and Natalie's eyes as she went on, "If anyone sees the brand, they're bound by law to ask for the slave's documents. If you can't produce them, then I'll be reclaimed and returned to the slavers who branded me. There will be a questioning about whether I was a legally obtained slave, and since I am, new documents will be drawn up, and if they can't find my last recorded owners, then I'll be sold off again."

Matt frowned, "That's ridiculous. How the hell do they determine who was legally obtained or not?"

Anna shrugged with downcast eyes. "Well, I've seen and overheard a couple conversations about returned slaves, and generally there will be a bribe involved. Other than that, it's based on the word of the slavers. What slaver would turn down the chance to make more gold by selling a slave? And on top of that, what person would take the word of a halfbreed slave, legal or not, over that of a full-blooded, free creature? I don't think a single claim has ever not gone through, or that a slaver has ever been seriously punished for selling illegal slaves."

Natalie shook her head with a furious scowl. "That makes me so…" she trailed off with an angry huff. She glared at a fern at the base of a tree for a few moments before blowing out a sigh and turning to Matt. "What if we healed the mark?"

Matt regretfully shook his head, "I can't heal scars."

Anna gave them a wan smile as she said, "It's okay, I'm not expecting to be freed. It's enough that I'm with friends who treat me well, and don't see me as a slave. Now come on, we won't get anywhere just standing here, and the Blight won't stop itself."

With that, the half-wood elf turned to keep walking and ended up stuck in a near-invisible thread. She immediately started trying step backwards, but was pulled forwards by the powerful strands. Her eyes narrowed as she realized she was caught in a Phikao spider web. She resisted the urge to continue trying to pull free, knowing the more movement she made, the more likely she was to attract the spider, and she wanted nothing to do with a Phikao.

"Matt, cut me loose," Anna said calmly.

Matt frowned as he peered around her. "I don't see anything to cut."

Anna gritted her teeth and snapped, "Just cut around me. It's a spider web, and I _don't_ want to be stuck here when the spider comes."

A loud clicking sound suddenly rose up, and Anna stiffened. She slowly looked up, and her face paled as she saw eight dull red eyes glittering down at her. Twin mandibles chittered constantly and slowly oozed viscous, orange venom, one she knew would paralyze. The spider's body was covered in coarse, dark brown hairs, as were the eight legs delicately stepping across the web. The entire creature was larger than a horse.

"Matt, please cut me loose," Anna begged as she fruitlessly tugged on the webs.

Matt had been staring at the Phikao with a dropped jaw, but Anna's pleading voice snapped him out of his daze. He unsheathed his blade and slashed at invisible threads ensnaring Anna. But his blade bounced off the threads as if they were made of steel. His eyes widened in shock, but he soon shook it off to try again with similar luck.

"Natz, burn the web," Matt snapped. He glanced around when he got no response, and saw that Natalie had gone white from terror and was trembling as she stared at the spider. As he watched, the half-grand elf passed out

"Matt…" Anna whimpered as she watched the Phikao draw closer.

Matt cursed under his breath as he unleashed a powerful light spell on the spider. The creature let out an unearthly hiss as it was blinded, and it froze in place, clicking furiously as its two front legs lifted from the web to swipe blindly through the air. Anna let out a shriek as one barely missed her head. She squeezed her eyes shut in terror, listening to the ferocious spider. Then, miraculously, she felt the web lose some tension and her eyes cracked open before flying wide with shock. Golden flames were just spluttering out, searing through the threads.

Matt blew out a sigh of relief as he snagged Anna under her arm to haul her back. He deposited her on the ground next to Natalie and whirled on the Phikao as the web burned away too much to support it and it slammed to the ground. The long legs flailed as the spider righted itself before scuttling around to face Matt. It had regained its sight after the brilliant flash that had blinded it, and it was furious at the destruction of its web and theft of its prey. Matt saw eight reflections of himself on the spider's glassy eyes and he bared his fangs in a threat.

Anna had regained her feet and brought her bow around to fire an arrow at the Phikao. But to the spider, the arrow seemed to travel in slow motion, and it easily dodged it. Unfortunately for it, it moved right into a slash from Matt. The drakeling's sword sheared through one of the spider's legs and sticky, green blood splattered out across the forest floor. Matt threw himself under a retaliating slash from a barbed foot, and rolled under the abdomen of the spider. He thrust up and sank his sword into the center of the bug before dragging the blade sideways.

The massive spider gave a death shudder before collapsing, narrowly missing Matt as he rolled out from under its body. The drakeling was coated with green slime, but unharmed. He stood up and made a face as he inspected the blood splattered across his clothes, and his nose scrunched up at the sour smell. Still, he turned to the two half elves with a wry smile.

"I don't suppose we can detour to wash off?" he asked as he lifted one arm. Strands of green ooze stretched between the limb and his side.

Anna gave a shaky laugh. She gestured at Natalie's unconscious form as she said, "We'll have to carry her, though. How about I just drench you with my magic?"

"That would be fine. Anything to get this stench off," Matt agreed. He spluttered a moment later when water seemed to simply appear from nowhere over his head to come cascading down. He shook his entire body to try and rid it of the excess water when Anna released her magic. Then he turned to Natalie and blew out an exasperated sigh as he pushed his sodden bangs off his face, "Scared of spiders, huh? Might as well splash her to wake her up."

A split second later and Natalie jolted upright with a cough and dripping hair. She looked around wildly and saw the dead Phikao. Immediately she looked away again and saw Matt and Anna watching her. She wondered briefly about why Matt was wet, but shook it off as he held a hand out to help her up.

"I, uh… Sorry about passing out," Natalie mumbled with red cheeks.

Matt gave her a wry smile, "While the nasty bug was certainly ugly and creepy, falling unconscious certainly wasn't a helpful response. If you can't stand the sight of something, don't keep staring at it. We could have really used your fire magic just now."

Anna started and said, "That reminds me: how'd you burn the webs, Matt?"

Matt twitched, having hoped she wouldn't have noticed that between his flash of light and her panic. He had used his fire breath to burn the web. It had been the only way to save Anna, but now it might be what revealed his dragon lineage; unless he could come up with a plausible explanation about why the web had suddenly combusted, of course.

"Maybe the web is sensitive to light magic?" he suggested finally. "The forest is pretty dark, after all, and most creatures that live in the dark are vulnerable to light."

Natalie nodded, "I suppose that makes sense."

Anna remained skeptical, however. "I've never heard of burning a Phikao web that way…" she mused thoughtfully with a sharp look at Matt. She could tell he was lying, but let it go at the desperate look he gave her. "…I suppose it doesn't really matter. We're all safe and not eaten is what's important here."

Matt blew out a silent sigh of relief, though he imagined Anna would be questioning him later. They set off with Anna in the lead again, this time waving a branch in front of her. She told them it was unlikely that they'd hit another Phikao so close to the one they'd just killed, but it couldn't hurt to be safe. They took a brief rest by a stream at midday and ate some rabbits Anna caught. They would have stayed for a little longer, but the smell of cooking meat attracted the attention of a couple small predators, and while the beasts were simple to kill, they agreed not to push their luck.

It was early evening when they reached the edge of the forest. Anna's pace picked up with eagerness, and they pushed through the last of the trees at a jog. And then they were out and looking over a wide plain with a volcano glowing in the distance. The fresh breeze was a welcome relief after so long in the dank stillness of the forest, and they each inhaled it deeply. Matt peered across the plain, picking out a few trails and recalling what his father had said about the fastest way to Fal'ratharn. He raised an arm to point out a barely visible smudge of ashy black to his companions.

"We'll head through the ash wastes tomorrow. There's a canyon there that we'll head through that should take us almost directly to the gates of Fal'ratharn," he told them. He paused as he did a quick calculation in his head and went on, "It'll probably be several—five, maybe six—more days."

Anna grinned, "Awesome. Then we'll have two of the artefacts, right?"

Natalie beamed, "Yup. Matt already got the elven one from Lady Leanala."

"I hope the fire dragons are as easy to convince to aid us," Matt murmured, more to himself than the two half-elves. He shook off the doubt before it could settle too firmly, and turned to the others, "Let's keep going for a little while. There's still plenty of daylight, after all!"

Matt took the lead and led the others fell into a loose flank behind him. They were each immensely glad to be out of the forest. It was far easier to see danger approaching on the plain, and there was no fear that they would get lost. The air was clean and warm with a pleasant breeze to keep them cool. They soon reached a dirt road, packed and worn by thousands of people, animals, and wagons using it.

Not long after reaching the road, a chain of wagons came towards them. Anna was the first to hear the rattling of many wheels and glanced back to look. She blinked a few times in surprise before pointing them out to Matt and Natalie. The pair turned back to look and Natalie cocked her head while Matt frowned slightly. They could see colorful flags tied to each wagon and there were all kinds of creatures pulling them from horses, to cattle to more exotic animals such as large birds and strange, six-legged beasts. A few people walked alongside the train, some clearly guards, others children who wanted to run, not ride.

"Who are they?" Natalie wondered aloud.

"It's a human caravan," Matt replied evenly, studying the flags as the wagons drew closer.

"Do you humans usually travel in such large groups?" Anna asked curiously as they moved off the road.

Matt nodded, "Yeah, humans don't really have a territory they control; most are nomadic though they have a few towns, and many settle in other race's cities, towns, and settlements."

Natalie seemed to notice Matt's unease, and quietly asked, "Should we expect trouble from them?"

"Maybe. Some caravans have no problems with anyone they come across, and will invite them to travel together for a while. Others, though… Well, I've had a few run-ins with them in the past, and we'll just say that I don't particularly want to repeat the experiences."

"Huh, dad used to always say humans were the easiest to find and deal with of all the races, but maybe that's just because he was human himself," Natalie commented.

"Well, they certainly have the most blood spread around," Matt replied with a wry grin. "There's a reason half-creatures are almost all half-human. They do a lot of trading between cities, and usually pick up a lover or three while they're in town."

"Very… promiscuous… I take it?" Natalie coughed with a light blush.

Matt laughed, "Very, and very good at enticing people to join them. They've got a very care-free view of life, a sort of fire to them that fascinates and charms many in the longer-lived races. Of course, the relationships almost never last long, even when a human stays for a long time. The different cultural views clash and the life spans are almost always drastically different between the family members."

"And then you get people like us," Anna muttered bitterly.

"And then you get people like us," Matt repeated quietly in agreement. He blew out a long sigh as the wagons came close enough to see the eyes of the people and animals. "I wish the children had become an effective bridge between races, not pariahs others wish would just vanish."

A call from the head of the wagons had them all clattering to a stop beside the three travelers. An older man smiled brightly down at them from a lightly wrinkled, weather-tanned face. His eyes were a light brown, and he had dark brown hair with a few streaks of grey running through it. The expression was open and friendly, and it relaxed the wary trio a little. They were each adept at detecting subtle shifts in mood, having been watching for signs of aggression their entire lives.

"Hail, travelers, a fine day today, no?" the man greeted them.

Matt nodded, "Yes, beautiful weather and good company."

The man nodded a few times, looking over the three with a sharp, studying look. "Strange to see three half-creatures traveling this far out," he noted mildly, "Where are you three youngsters headed?"

Matt hesitated, unsure of whether he wanted to share their destination with a complete stranger. " _But,_ " he mused to himself, " _It isn't like we could outrun or out-combat them if they really wanted to hurt or capture us_." With that thought in mind, he replied, "Fal'ratharn. We need to speak with Elder Wyrm Fyrnnax."

"Would you like to ride along part of the way?" the man offered cheerfully. "We're headed to a village a day's walk from the edge of the wastes."

Matt glanced at Natalie and Anna. When neither woman looked like they'd disagree, he smiled and accepted. "That would be amazing, thank you. How much are you asking to carry the three of us?"

"No, no, I won't be charging you to ride a few miles. Just scramble up on the back of my wagon here, and make yourself comfortable on the rugs. And help yourself to the fruit in the basket hanging from the ceiling; it'll be going bad before I can finish it, anyway. And mind your heads on the cross beam."

Matt's smile widened as he, Anna, and Natalie clambered into the back of the wagon. They waved to a plump woman driving the wagon behind them when she cheerfully called a greeting to them. Soon the three were settled on worn, but comfortable plush rugs with fruits in hand. The wagon jolted into motion, setting some pots, pans, and utensils hanging over head clinking. The top of a sectioned door at the front of the box swung open to allow the driver to speak with them.

"Just realized I never introduced myself," the man said with a sheepish laugh. "My name is Jack, leader of this caravan. Pleased to meet you all."

"I'm Matt, and these two are Anna and Natalie," Matt replied, gesturing between the two half-elves as he named them. The two women chorused a greeting, and he grinned as he added, "Nice to meet you, too, Jack. Thanks again for the ride; we were looking at several days' worth of travel, but now it'll only be a couple."

"Always happy to help fellow travelers along," Jack replied. A muffled shout rose up from further back in the caravan, and he glanced over his shoulder at them to ask, "How do you three feel about some singing?" Even as he said the words, a song had started up with several voices chiming in to sing the words.

And so the day and night passed cheerfully, filled with songs and stories. The humans, Matt and his friends found, knew hundreds of tales and songs that they'd collected from all corners of the land. They had masks and voices to go with many of the tales, and instruments to go with the songs. And everyone participated if they knew the words, or they merely sang the chorus on the second round. The three laughed and sang along, having more fun than they could recall ever having before. It was an entirely novel and enjoyable experience to be surrounded by people who didn't care what species they were.

Two days later, and they bid the group goodbye with hopeful exchanges to see each other again someday. Matt bought some fresh supplies from them, including a traveling cloak for Anna, and a few spices for Natalie to try cooking with. And then they were waving goodbye as the wagons pulled away.

"What an awesome bunch," Matt sighed as they turned for the black smudge they could just see over the hill.

Natalie nodded with a bright smile, "Yeah, I don't think I've ever laughed so much before in my entire life."

Anna chuckled, "Or caught so many guys' attentions?" Her mischievous grin widened at Natalie's splutter and sudden, brilliant flush. "They were rather, ah, taken with you, huh?"

Matt laughed as Natalie buried her face with a moan of embarrassment. "Well, you have to admit that she is really pretty," he told Anna.

"True," Anna agreed, shooting a glance at him. She noted the way he was idly staring at Natalie with a soft look.

"Stop," Natalie mumbled through her fingers.

Matt and Anna laughed again before turning their attention to the bleak landscape stretching out before them as they crested the slope. The three stared across the cracked, black ground. Grass had stubbornly popped up in scraggly clumps for a little ways in from the edge of the grassland, but over all there was no plant life to be seen. They could see many columns of smoke rising in the distance, and various standing pools of lava.

"This is the ash wastes?" Natalie asked, more to say something than actually needing to confirm the obvious.

Matt nodded, "Yep. It shouldn't be too long of a journey through. A day to reach the canyon we'll travel through, at the most. We probably won't see much fresh water, if any, so try to use yours sparingly."

The two half-elves nodded, and together, they set out to cross the ash wastes.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Whew, some more world building, a travel section done, and a giant spider fight. All-in-all, a pretty good chapter, I think. There will be more with humans later, and probably far less friendly ones. :P Also, Lance will be coming up in the next one! Leave a review, and I'll be back (hopefully) soon!_


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N:_** _Two things in two days? What is this madness, eh? Anyway, here is the overdue next chapter. This is actually the first one I wrote for Shadow of the Blight, back during the writer's blockade in_ Retribution _. It's a long one, so enjoy!_

* * *

The group had been trekking through the ash wastes for almost four days. They drank their water sparingly, and supplemented it with the fruit Matt had bought from the nomadic humans. Nothing had attacked them as of yet, but they'd seen the skeletons of animals and monsters that had been picked clean. Each of them figured that meant there was some sort of predator living in the wastes, but Anna hadn't been able to find anything aside from a few errant claw marks.

"Dragons, maybe?" Natalie suggested as they settled down for sleep one evening.

Matt shrugged, "Maybe, but I don't know why a dragon would be hunting around here. They have a river valley on the other side of the volcano with tons of prey—better quality prey, too, I bet."

Anna was nibbling on a slice of bread with some cheese stuck on top of it. "Do light dragons ever have to hunt in less than optimal locations?"

Matt tensed slightly at the question, and shot Anna a sharp look that she met with steady, if slightly challenging eyes. The half-wood-elf had been pressing for information about light dragons for days since he'd saved her from the Phikao spider. He had the sneaking suspicion that she knew what he was, and was trying to confirm her theory. He never said anything to confirm one way or another, but the constant prodding was making him anxious. He almost wished she would simply ask him outright so that he could get the rejection over with.

"All creatures can find themselves in a situation where they have to hunt in bad locations," Matt finally coolly replied. "But I know for a fact that the fire dragons have prime hunting land, so there isn't any reason for them to hunt here."

Anna flinched slightly at his less than friendly tone. She mumbled an apology, and avoided Natalie's confused glance. The rest of the night passed in near-silence.

Things had smoothed over by the next morning, and Matt was back to his normal, cheerful self. Natalie was flourishing in her water and earth magic under Anna's tutelage, and all three of them were discovering that Anna's nature magic could be used for faster recovery. The half-wood-elf couldn't heal wounds like Natalie and Matt could, but she could coax an injury to heal more quickly, which was a fascination to Matt. It took much longer to do—almost four times as long as even Natalie's slowest and weakest healing spell—but it was much faster than waiting for the wound to heal on its own. Matt had carefully tracked Anna's mana as she healed a narrow slice to her palm, and shook his head in confused amazement.

"No light magic; that's weird," Matt murmured. "I wonder if Lenth has ever heard of that…"

"Who's Lenth?" Natalie asked as she clambered up a small cliff.

"One of the light dragons who taught me healing magic," Matt replied as he followed Natalie up and reached down to help Anna up.

Once all of them were standing beside each other, they looked across the landscape. But instead of the normal flat, gray landscape with the occasional lava pool, they now saw long rivers of lava and colorful pools of steaming liquid. Sharp spires had formed in many places, and the ground randomly jutted up in small plateaus with narrow passes through them. The air was incredibly hot, and dry anywhere not immediately beside the pools of liquid. It only took a quick whiff for them to know that whatever was in the pools wasn't drinkable. The three exchanged glances and set off once more. It was when they were walking alongside a sluggish lava river with a cliff to their other side that they finally encountered something alive aside from them.

"Well, this is an unusual group of trespassers."

The three travelers stiffened and twisted to look up. In the flickering orange light of the nearby lava river, they saw a young man with red hair and eyes, and pale skin. His pupils were slitted, like a reptile's. He wore a dark red shirt and long, black pants, but no shoes of any kind—and he didn't shift at all from the hot ground against his bare skin. The newcomer glared down at them from the rock he was standing on, with his arms crossed over his chest. They wondered how the heck they had missed him—he was hardly blending in with the obsidian surroundings, after all.

Matt reached back for the hilt of his sword. The man had no weapons that could be seen, but it was very obvious that he wasn't friendly. With a furrowed brow, Matt realized that he couldn't tell if the person above them was a dragon or a drakeling. He had the hair and eyes of a full-dragon right down to the slit pupils. His mana was fairly powerful, too, but he seemed a little short. But it was obvious that even if he wasn't a full-dragon, he was strong; not that that surprised Matt at all.

"We're just passing through," Anna said calmly.

Natalie nodded, "Yes, we're sorry for intruding and we promise to be through as quickly as possible."

The man arched a single brow and flatly said, "The only place through here is the fire dragon's volcano, Fal'ratharn. What could a ragtag bunch of misfits like you possibly need to do there?"

Anna puffed up, "' _Misfits_?' Come down here and say that to our faces!"

With a snort the man replied, "Why should I come down? You obviously heard me just fine. Besides, you _are_ a bunch of misfits. Half-elves and a drakeling traveling together? That's a group of outcasts if ever I saw one."

Matt stiffened and the two girls looked puzzled.

"Drakeling? Where's the drakeling?" Natalie asked fearfully.

"The blond guy standing next to you, duh," the man impatiently replied.

Natalie whirled to look at Matt with wide eyes, " _You're_ a drakeling?"

Matt released a resigned sigh and nodded. "Yes. Light, on my father's side," he quietly admitted. He winced as they fearfully backed away from him. Even Anna, though she looked far less surprised than Natalie did. He shifted his gaze to the man above them with a challenging glare in his eyes, "I am Matt, son of Luthradax, son of Lumen. What is your name, dragonkin?"

"Oo, he know how to greet another dragon properly," the man sneered. He met Matt's glare with one of his own, "Fine, my name is Lance, son of Fardraath, son of Felrenn." Lance watched the two inching away from Matt with detached scorn, "You hid it from them?"

That settled one question; Lance was a drakeling. Matt's fists clenched. "Of course I did," he spat. He gestured at the pair beside him and watched sorrowfully as they flinched, "I'm sure you know how others always react to us. I thought I could have some friends for once; ones who didn't think I was going to go ballistic, tear them apart, and eat them, or something equally stupid. I thought they could be people who didn't spit on me when I passed because I'm not a purebred dragon." His voice fell, "I'd planned to tell them before we went to talk to the Elder Fire Wyrm. I thought they might not… react… like they are right now. I- I guess I was wrong."

Anna glanced up at the man above them with wide eyes, "You're a drakeling, too?"

"Well, of course. Didn't you pick that up from our little discussion?" the man replied in a scathing tone. He stared the two women with hard eyes before shrugging, "If you three are so dead-set on going to Fal'ratharn, then you should turn around and take the other road. If you value your lives, that is."

"No can do. We-" Matt broke off and he glanced at the two half-elves beside him. The pair flinched again and refused to meet his eyes. He shook his head and went on, " _I_ need to talk to the Elder Fire Wyrm as soon as possible. Bye, Anna, Natz, thanks for your help up to now. Good hunting to you, Lance."

Matt didn't wait for a reply before turning and briskly walking off. Anna and Natalie made no move to follow him, watching his back until it vanished into the smoke of the caldera. There was silence for a few seconds and then the man above them snorted.

"You two are just going to let him walk off?" Lance asked.

Natalie hesitated before giving a slight nod. "How can I trust something like him? Drakelings killed my family, and he knew it. He still didn't tell me the truth; he let me believe that he didn't know what his father was."

Anna frowned and nodded, "Besides, we've all heard the stories of drakelings tearing other creatures apart and devouring them. Sure, he's been nice during our travels, but that could change at any time."

"Well, I suppose a couple of elves such as yourselves would know that, huh? You've been welcomed into your people's libraries and read the history, right? Oh, wait, my mistake; you're half-elves, hardly welcome in the gutters of your streets, much less indoors. After all, if you were allowed inside the libraries, you'd lose control of your magic and burn the places to the ground," Lance spat, disgust clear in his voice. He eyed the two women with disdain for a few moments before continuing. "I've heard stories of your kind, as well. How often does a half-elf actually lose control? Not often, if ever; not unless you are provoked, right? It's the same for drakelings. We don't have some kind of sleeping monster inside us that we constantly struggle to control. The story you've heard was of a drakeling that humans kept chained and alone in the dark for weeks. They didn't feed him, didn't speak to him, and when they finally opened the door, he was insane and he killed them, brutally, and ate them—like any predator that's been starved. Elves shun you for your spirit and supposed lack of control; humans hunt you for your blood to use in their medicine and alchemy. Dragons cast us out of the nests to fend for ourselves as soon as we can walk, disgusted with our impurity—if they even keep us that long. Every day we live in fear that a group of humans will find us and kill us. They seek our blood as well; to quell their fears and cure their illnesses. We're no different from you; keep that in mind next time you condemn someone based on their birth and blood."

Anna and Natalie flinched, but didn't say anything. Guilt shone in their eyes as they glanced to where Matt had gone.

Lance snorted and a puff of smoke curled from his nostrils. "Figures that you didn't even consider any of that. If you actually feel guilty, you should go find him; sooner rather than later."

Natalie swallowed, "You're right, we need to catch up to Matt and apologize. Will you guide us? Matt was the one who knew where we were going."

"No, I will not," Lance replied with a raised brow, "I happen to value my life, regardless of what the rest of the world thinks of it. It's a straight path, anyway."

Anna bowed to Lance, "Thank you for setting us straight, both on our trail and in our views." She turned and snagged Natalie's arm, leading her through the smoke and out of sight.

Lance stared after them with a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Well, well, I wasn't expecting that," he murmured.

An elf, even a half-elf, bowing to a person they viewed with hatred and fear? It was more or less unheard of. Still, even if they were a strange bunch, they weren't going to be for much longer; wyverns lived in the canyon they planned to hike through. Lance sighed and stared after them, debating on whether he should chase after them to stop their foolhardy, suicide march. It seemed a shame to let a group of slightly-less-bigoted idiots get eaten by a bunch of dragon wannabies.

But ultimately, Lance heaved another sigh and turned away. He had already warned them, and Matt had insisted on going through. There wasn't much else he could do to help them. Still, he glanced over his shoulder at where the trio had gone before diving into the lava river below.

 **OOOOOO**

Matt walked along the canyon with his shoulders slumped. Even if he had expected the rejection, he'd hoped that it would never happen. Natalie had really seemed to like him, as had Anna, and they had both been so open to differences. He had really hoped that when they finally learned of his dragon blood they would weigh what they knew of him against what they had only heard of and realize that he wasn't like that, not abhor and fear him out of hand. Granted, Natalie had a reason to fear drakelings, but still: weren't the number of times he had helped her worth anything? Apparently not; or at least they weren't enough to outweigh the death of her father.

"Maybe the next people I find will accept me," Matt murmured to himself. He felt a twinge of hopelessness, and thought, " _Or maybe I should just finally accept that people will never trust drakelings, and give up on it._ "

A scraping sound came from overhead, distracting him from his dismal thoughts, but when Matt looked up, he saw nothing. Still, he kept one hand over his shoulder and on his sword hilt. A patter of footsteps from behind him had him whipping around, sword drawn. He froze and lowered his weapon a little in shock when he saw Anna and Natalie running towards him. Matt shook his head and raised his sword again. The pair froze a few feet away and stared at him and the weapon he had raised against them.

Matt warily eyed them as he said, "Look, I get that you think I'm a rabid monster—you aren't the first to think that and you won't be the last—but if you think I'm going to let you kill me over some insane idea that eating my heart will grant you invincibility, or that my blood and bones can cure any illness, think again."

Anna's jaw dropped in mock-amazement and she jokingly said, "Wait, eating a dragon's heart makes you invincible? Can I try?"

Natalie nervously eyed the sudden cold and deadly gleam in Matt's eyes, though she also saw a flash of fear. Obviously, he had missed the humor in Anna's voice. "Not funny, Anna; that's a serious concern for him," Natalie warned, before turning her full attention back to Matt. "She doesn't mean it, Matt. We aren't here to kill you or anything of the sort, we promise," the girl said.

For a few moments, Matt's expression and stance didn't change and the two half-elves wondered if he planned to attack them anyway, just to be safe. Finally, Matt spoke.

"If you aren't here for that, then why _are_ you here?" he coldly asked. His sword was still held in front of him and his hands tightened on the grip as he added, "I know the looks you gave me earlier. You don't trust me; you were wondering how many times I had managed to avoid the temptation to kill and eat you."

"Would you believe us if we said we wanted to apologize for how we reacted?" Anna hopefully asked.

Natalie nodded, "And that we want to keep traveling with you?"

Matt's sword fell to his side in shock. He stared at the two in front of him for a long moment before his face suddenly split into a disbelieving smile. "Seriously?" he asked with hope in his eyes and voice.

"Seriously," Anna assured. She waved a hand in the direction they had just come from, "Lance gave us a verbal smack, and he was right. I'm sorry for how I reacted—it was wrong. Now then, don't we have a message to deliver? Onwards to the Fire Wyrm!"

Natalie grinned, "What she said. _You_ didn't kill my dad and I know you won't hurt me. I trust you, Matt; you're my friend."

Matt gaped at them, hardly able to believe his ears. Anna gave a small cough and made a vague gesture with her hand. Matt snapped his mouth shut with a flush, but still beamed at them as he waved them closer. Natalie and Anna moved to stand next to him with no fear or hesitation in their eyes or movements. His smile widened and he turned to keep walking only to freeze as an eerie screech echoed in the canyon.

"Oh, no," he muttered, staring upwards.

Natalie inched closer to him, tightly gripping her staff. "What was that?"

"Big and angry, that's what," Anna replied as she brought her bow around.

"Wyverns. They say they're hungry, and that trespassers make good snacks," Matt informed them.

Anna stared at him, "Wait, you speak wyvern?"

"Unimportant, Anna," Natalie snapped, "We need to get out to wider ground. It's too cramped in here for most spells."

They turned and began to run, only to skid to halt after a few paces when a large, red and orange creature landed in front of them. It had a face that was somewhere between a bird and a lizard with gleaming green eyes. Its neck and chest were covered in red and orange feathers, while the rest of its body was red, leathery skin. It had a long, serpentine tail it used to balance itself on two muscular hind legs that ended in massive feet with gleaming talons. Its wings were bat-like and a translucent orange with three clawed fingers at the joint of each of them. The wyvern's beak cracked wide to let out another screech. Dozens of cries answered it and the silhouettes of many more wyverns appeared against the sky.

Matt slashed at the creature's neck only to curse when it took flight. He backed closer to Natalie and Anna. With a twang, Anna released an arrow that sailed through the air and into a wyvern's chest. The creature let out a shriek of pain that choked off, and plummeted to the ground, landing with a dull thud. Natalie murmured a short spell and a powerful gust swept down the canyon, intended to blow them away or into the narrow walls. But a screech from the wyverns answered the spell and the wind suddenly died. Natalie made a confused sound and pressed against her two friends' backs as the wyverns swooped closer, some coming to land.

"Wyverns are wind creatures," Matt distractedly explained, eyes fixed on the swarm. "Try ice; the colors of their feathers aren't actually an indication of their element, only their area of roosting. Lightning will probably work, too."

Anna grunted, "Can't you tell them we need to pass through?"

Matt shook his head, "No, they won't listen to a drakeling; much less a strange drakeling."

Natalie frowned and unleashed a blast of ice on the group of wyverns in front of her. The creatures pulled away with hisses of displeasure. They didn't stay back for long, though. One lunged at the mage, only to collapse dead as Matt's sword found its neck. The three travelers inched even closer to each other as the wyverns pressed closer.

Suddenly, a ring of crimson fire sprang up around them, startling the three it protected as much as it did the wyverns. The creatures sprang back with displeased shrieks and hisses, their heads twisting as they searched for the source of the fire. When nothing appeared, but the fire remained burning, several wyverns stood upright, bracing themselves with their tails, and began to flap their wings. A gust of powerful wind slammed into the fire and blew it out. Matt rammed his sword into the ground to brace himself and grunted when Natalie slammed into him, blown back by the wind.

Anna wasn't so lucky. Screeches of triumph rang out as the half-elf flew straight into the clutches of a large wyvern. Immediately, the wyvern took off with its prey's arm clutched in its beak. Anna let out a scream as she was carried off. The rest of the wyverns screeched and took off as well. Natalie launched an ice spell, but in fear of accidentally hitting Anna, it was too small to do much. Matt helplessly stared after their friend as she was carried higher and higher, above the walls of the canyon.

A mighty roar thundered from nearby and a red dragon appeared on the cliff top, streaking after the swarm. The wyverns scattered with panicked cries, but stopped to hover nearby when the dragon ignored most of them. Its glaring red eyes were fixed on one wyvern; specifically, that wyvern's prey. There was a brief tangle as the two creatures met in midair. Blood flew and the wyvern dropped like a stone. Anna fell from the dead creature's beak with a scream. The red dragon twisted in midair and dove after her only to be intercepted by a group of wyverns. More blood flew and there were several pained roars and cries.

Matt and Natalie watched with wide eyes as Anna plummeted, unable to do anything to help her.

"Can you cast a spell to slow her fall?" Matt desperately asked Natalie, watching Anna's small shape continue to fall with increasing speed.

Natalie shook her head in despair, "No, I don't have fine enough control for that. I'd send her careening into a wall or shred her."

Suddenly, the red dragon broke free of the swarm. It tucked its wings and legs in and dove, ignoring the wyverns that flew after it and the multitude of streaming cuts that covered it body. The pair on the ground watched with their hearts in their throats as the dragon plummeted towards Anna at an alarming speed. Matt flinched as he realized that there was no way the dragon would catch up to her in time, and even if it did, they would both crash into the stones. The red dragon cracked its jaws wide and sent a thin blast of fire just past Anna to blast the ground below. White-hot flames roared against the stone and a heated wind blasted down the valley.

Natalie gasped, "Brilliant! The hot air from the fire will slow Anna's fall and give the dragon's wings an updraft when it spreads them!"

Matt swallowed, "Maybe, but it's going to be close. Plus those wyverns are still there. If he doesn't deal with them, they'll shred his wings."

The dragon didn't seem to think the same, instead tucking its limbs in even tighter to fall faster. It snatched Anna out of the air with one clawed limb and tucked her close to its chest. In the same moment, it spread its wings wide. They snapped taut and the dragon pulled flat just before they smashed into the flames still burning on the ground. The wyverns weren't so lucky, most were unable to pull up in time and dashed against the stone with sickening crunches. Those that didn't die from the impact were burned alive by the fire. The dragon didn't even glance back as it swooped to the end of the valley. With a back-flick of its wings, it came to a thundering landing on three legs. Shortly after, it collapsed sideways.

Matt and Natalie sprinted out of the canyon in time to see Anna squirm free of the dragon's claws. She looked terrified, but mostly unharmed as she tumbled to the ground. She was nursing a burn on one leg, and blood was running from where the wyvern had bitten her, but she didn't seem to notice either wound as she stared up at the dragon that had saved her. The dragon looked a lot worse. Blood ran from many cuts on its body, and its sides heaved from exertion with every wheezing breath. Natalie inched a little closer only to freeze when one large, crimson eye cracked open to glare at her. Its jaws parted with a low snarl, a warning clear in the sound.

Matt's jaw dropped, " _Lance?!_ " He flinched as the dragon gave a hissing laugh that broke off into a rasping cough. "Not cool! I didn't even know it was possible," Matt protested. He suddenly shook his head, "Never mind, that's not important. What is important is that you're going to bleed to death. Natalie, can you heal him? You're better with lacerations than me."

The half-elf jerked up from where she had been checking Anna. She glanced at Lance fearfully, "I-I guess I can try?"

"Good enough. Lance, you need to change back. It will be easier for her to heal smaller wounds," Matt ordered.

There was a snort and a flash of red light, and where once there had been a wounded dragon, there now lay a wounded man. Lance panted and his body was covered with vicious, bloody claw marks that stained through his clothing. He hissed at Natalie as she approached him with one hand raised. The half-elf flinched from the mistrustful sound and fearful look in his red eyes. Still, she persevered, and knelt beside him to hold her hand over his chest. A soft white light flowed over the injured drakeling's body, and the wounds sealed off, leaving behind smooth skin.

Lance's eyes widened in amazement at the effect and he sat up. He placed one hand on his side where there had been a particularly nasty slash, wondering at the smooth skin. Natalie had rapidly shuffled back as soon as he started moving. She now sat beside Anna, watching Lance with wide eyes. Matt held a hand out to the sitting drakeling and hauled him to his feet.

"Thank you for saving Anna. You were amazing," Matt said with a grin.

Anna nodded, "Yes, definitely thank you for that. I'm a little confused as to why you did, though."

Lance shrugged, looking mildly uncomfortable with the praise. He glanced around at them and mumbled, "A stupid sense of honor wouldn't let me just let you guys die without trying to help, is all. I kind of wish I hadn't; those wyvern claws sting."

Natalie blinked in surprise at the reply. She hesitated and asked, "You're a drakeling, right? How can you turn into a full-grown dragon?"

Matt shook his head, "His dragon form is only about a quarter of the size of an average full-grown dragon. I have no idea how he did it, though."

Lance smirked, "Anyone with dragon blood can transform into a dragon form. Of course, it's easier if the lineage is more powerful. We're always much smaller than a full dragon, but usually more than big enough for most things that attack us. I'm a little shocked that you can't manage it. You're a grandson of the elder light wyrm, right?"

Natalie's head whipped around to stare at Matt, "Wait, really? So are you some kind of dragon nobility?"

Matt snorted bitterly, "Hardly. Have you ever heard of a half-anything getting any kind of noble status? I'm a disgrace to the family as far as he's concerned, when he even recognizes that I exist at all. The reason he agreed to choose me for the quest is because he's hoping I'll get killed. On the other hand, I'm strong enough that there's a possibility for success, so it's a real, win-win for him. Anyway, dragons rule by strength, not strictly by family lines."

"Oh, right. Sorry," Natalie mumbled with a wince. She turned her attention back to Lance, "Are you feeling okay now?"

Lance nodded, "Yes, thank you. I've never seen healing magic before—it was impressive."

Anna finally stood up and glanced at Matt, "So now what? Go back and head around?"

Matt glanced down the canyon with a sigh, "I guess so. This way is faster, but not if we're going to get attacked every time we step inside."

"Why do you guys need to talk the Elder Fire Wyrm so badly? And what makes you think he'll even see you?" Lance asked, bemused.

The three exchanged glances and nods. Anna turned to face Lance, "We need a special treasure from each of the major tribes to stop the Blight, and the fire dragons are the ones with the dragons' artefact."

Lance's jaw dropped, "You want to _stop_ the Blight? Is that even possible?"

With a shrug Natalie replied, "In theory, yes. No one has ever really tried before, though. They contain it, sure, but eradicate? You have to be at the source to do that, and next to no one are willing to get that close. Matt wants to try, though. He thinks he can do it, and I think so, too."

Matt shifted under the skeptical look Lance gave him, and cleared his throat. "Anyway, thanks for your help. We should get going."

The three nodded to Lance and started to head off.

The drakeling left behind shook off his amazement and called, "Wait!"

They paused and glanced back. "What's up?" Matt asked in confusion.

Lance looked mildly embarrassed as he asked, "Can I… go with you?"

Anna stared at him. "Why would you want to do that? We're basically on a suicide quest here." She mock-innocently grinned at the put-out looks Natalie and Matt gave her, "What? It's true!"

Lance shuffled his feet and mumbled, "It's quiet around here. And I want to help."

Inwardly, Lance hoped that maybe they would be his friends as well. The two half-elves had accepted Matt, so it was possible they'd let him tag along, too. Living alone had its perks, but it was depressing. He never had anyone to talk to or hunt with, he had been alone for a long time, and there was safety in numbers; almost all creatures craved company, and he was no different. The drakeling turned his red eyes on Matt, and felt an anxious twinge as he saw the frown on the blonde's face.

Matt frowned, "I dunno. You could get killed, you know." He stared into Lance's eyes and saw the hidden hope in them. With a grin, he added, "Although I guess you nearly got killed even without the Blight. I'm okay with you tagging along. What do you girls think?"

Anna shrugged, "I'm fine with it. The more help the better, after all; besides, we 'misfits' need to stick together." She grinned at the look of hopeful disbelief that overtook Lance's face.

Natalie eyed Lance with a mistrustful glare, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with this." Her glare faded when Lance flinched and looked crushed. She heaved a sigh, "Although, I guess I can't just write him off right away for something someone else did, and he did just save our lives. Sure, you can come along. Don't make me regret it." The corners of her lips quirked upwards at the sudden smile that spread over Lance's face

Turning to Lance with a grin, Matt held out his hand, "Welcome to Team Misfit, Lance!"

Lance stared at the offered hand with a dazed look in his eyes. He blinked to clear his gaze and shook Matt's hand with a grin, "Not sure how I feel about the name, but thanks. Now let's see about stopping an ancient evil and not dying in the process. Maybe I can teach you to transform along the way, Matt."

The other drakeling beamed. "Really? Sweet! Let's start that right away! I want to fly!"

" _Maybe_ ," Lance emphasized. "I've never tried teaching anyone before, and it's more of a natural instinct than a skill. I might not be able to help you at all."

Matt's grin faltered some, but he shrugged and said, "True, but there's always the possibility that you _can_ teach me. Explain it on the way, and we'll see if I get it or not."

Lance nodded and fell into step beside Matt. Anna and Natalie walked behind them, listening to Lance explain transforming to the best of his ability. He started by asking Matt what kinds of skills and abilities he could already use, and was stunned by how much Matt already knew. The two half-elves exchanged glances of surprise as well. They had never seen or known of several the things Matt said he could do.

"Wait, you can breathe fire?" Natalie asked in amazement.

"And can speak any language? Anna added.

Matt shrugged, "I can _understand_ any language, but I only _speak_ human, draconic, and some forms of elvish and dwarvish. Understanding and speaking any language is a dragon trait. It's easier for drakelings to learn other languages, but knowing them already isn't an inherent gift like it is for dragons. As for the fire, I avoided doing anything around you that could have revealed my being a drakeling."

Anna and Natalie winced, catching the unspoken message. He had avoided it because he had feared their reactions. It was a sobering thought that he had never trusted them completely, though they thought they understood it to some degree. Both hoped that maybe he would begin to trust him now that they knew the truth and accepted him.

"Breathing fire and speaking other languages is pretty standard for dragons and drakelings. I'm more interested in some of the other things he listed. Where and how did you learn to manipulate light magic well enough to manifest it for extended periods of time?" Lance asked. "And how the hell did you learn to heal others? That's something that can go very wrong, very easily."

"My dad taught me," Matt replied. "Another council member helped a little, too, but mostly it was my dad."

Lance stared at him, "You actually had training with full-dragons?"

Matt nodded, "From when I was thirteen up to when I left on this quest. Your father never taught you?" He was honestly curious. Drakelings were rare, so he'd never met another one before Lance. To his surprise, Lance's face darkened as he turned away.

"My father likes to pretend that I don't exist most of the time. No reason to train a mistake, after all," the fire-drakeling said in a bitter voice. "I taught myself everything I know."

Matt felt a growing suspicion. He hesitated and then asked, "How long have you been on your own, Lance?"

Lance shot him a glare and said in a tight voice, "Let's get back to working on transforming." He held Matt's concerned look until the light-drakeling nodded, an understanding look in his eyes. Lance returned the nod with a completely blank face. "Good. Now I want you to focus on whatever makes you feel like a dragon. Pull that sensation to the front of your mind and try to shift."

Anna and Natalie watched the exchange in confusion. Something had clearly been bothering Lance, but now he looked completely impassive. Natalie shivered as she felt barely suppressed mana emanating from the fire-drakeling. Despite his blank face, whatever he was still thinking of made him very angry, and she wasn't sure she liked the idea of an angry drakeling being nearby. Still, she held her tongue as Matt shut his eyes and concentrated. A second later, and he tripped over a rock, falling flat on the ground. The angry energy flickering from and around Lance vanished as he burst out laughing.

"I think maybe we should wait until we've stopped before concentrating," he chuckled.

Matt sat up with a groan and rubbed his head. "Yeah, I like that plan a bit more," he agreed. "How many days do you think it will take to get to Fal'ratharn going around?"

Lance shrugged, "Not too many, if we don't run into trouble. I'd say three, maybe four days."

Anna pouted, "We have to walk across a caldera for four days? I'm going to go crazy if I don't see any plants."

Lance shot her a glance, "There are plants here, too, you know."

"Wait, really?" the Anna asked. She glanced around as if she had somehow missed a splash of green.

"Sure, you need plants to have any life. Fire dragons wouldn't have laid claim to this land if there was no food," Lance explained with a shrug. "It's mostly scrub brush around this part of the caldera, though."

Natalie tilted her head as a thought occurred to her. "This is near your territory, right? Why'd you choose to live where there's practically no food?" she asked.

Almost instantly, she wished she hadn't said anything. Matt winced and shook his head from behind Lance. Anna glanced at the fire-drakeling as he scowled at Natalie. The half-elf mage flinched back from the look she received.

"I didn't choose to live around here," Lance told her in a tight voice. "Dragons would never let a drakeling live on good land, and it's the safest place from humans I can get."

Anna frowned, "That's stupid. I doubt you can eat enough to be an actual problem."

Matt glanced at her and said, "It's more a matter of they hate drakelings, than a matter of not enough food, Anna. I had similar problems when I was little."

"Wait, I thought your dad trained you," Lance said in confusion. "If he was doing that, then he must have been feeding you, too."

"Only from when I was thirteen and on," Matt reminded with a shrug. "Before that, I was on my own for seven years. It wasn't a nice time, either, and it isn't like most people treat me well now."

Lance grimaced, "I'm sure I can guess."

Anna cut in to ask, "Is there any place we can get some water? I'm really thirsty."

Lance hesitated for a long moment before offering, "We're pretty close to my den; do you want to stop there for the night? There's water inside."

The other three nodded and followed behind Lance as he turned right and clambered over a rock. They hiked in near silence; the only words that were spoken were when Lance told them to stop. Each time he did, a steam vent would shoot out a scalding cloud, or a spurt of lava would fly up. He never explained how he knew when and where it would happen, but they figured it was an innate sense to fire creatures.

They passed more pools of steaming liquid that stank of sulfur, and strange pits of bubbling mud until finally, they stopped beside an ordinary boulder beside a cliff, just one of many. Lance tilted his head and glanced around before nodding to himself. He shoved against the boulder and with a grunt, pushed it aside to reveal a small cave. He waved the other three through. Matt ducked inside with a grin and vanished from sight. Lance waved Natalie in next, but frowned when she hesitated.

"Go on, it's my den," Lance said in an impatient voice. "Don't tell me you're claustrophobic?"

Natalie frowned, and said, "I… don't think I want to go in there."

Lance scowled and turned away, "Still don't trust me, huh? Fine, whatever." He slipped into the cave without looking back.

Anna turned a sour look on Natalie, "Look, Natz, you need to let go of this drakeling grudge. He didn't do anything to you, or your family."

Natalie glared back at her, "You've never had someone close to you murdered in front of your eyes, have you? It isn't that simple."

"So, what, you're going to act like this around him all the time?" Anna asked with an arched brow. "That isn't fair to him. Matt got a chance, so why shouldn't Lance get one, too?"

"I didn't even know what Matt was," Natalie protested.

"Does that change the fact that he turned out to be a good guy?" Anna challenged. "I think that makes it more impressive. He hid something vital, despite how I'm sure it hurt him, to make sure we knew he was safe to be around. I bet Lance will be the same. He'll probably have things he does that irritate you, but overall, he'll be a good person. You can't just dismiss him like you are—it makes you no better than all the people who have ever mistreated us and them!"

Natalie opened her mouth to reply, but paused and thought about what Anna said. Was she really just perpetuating a cycle of racism? It only took a moment to realize that yes, she was, and a wave of shame swept over her. With a guilty glance at the cave entrance, she wondered if she could put her hatred aside. It would be hard; she had hated drakelings for so long, and they still scared her. A small voice in the back of her head quietly pointed out a small detail that had been bugging her since earlier—something she was afraid to consider.

Lance had made a very good point when he had said half-elves only lose control when they were provoked. If drakelings were the same, then that might mean her father had done something to warrant being killed. Before, she would never have considered it, but some of the things she had learned that day shed new light on the matter. Now, she was afraid of the implications, given what her father's occupation had been.

Anna pointedly clearing her throat broke Natalie out of her thoughts. Before she could respond, though, Matt poked his head out of the cave. He didn't quite meet their eyes as he asked what the holdup was. Natalie winced as she figured he must have already guessed why they were still outside. Looking at the uncertain and sad look on Matt's face firmed Natalie's resolve. She couldn't hate all drakelings and be Matt's friend. And if anyone deserved a friend and helping hand, it was Matt. She couldn't go on this quest with him and be of actual use if she constantly feared the two drakelings.

Natalie shook her head and gave Matt a reassuring smile, "Nothing now, Matt. Anna just wanted to make something clear to me, is all. Sorry for making you wait."

Matt carefully scanned her face, and offered in a quiet voice, "If… If we're too much, we can escort you back to Arthrena. I bet the elves drama will have calmed down by now." The look on his own face showed that he would do it, if that was what Natalie wanted, even if doing so would seriously hurt him.

"No. I said I would give him a chance, so that's what I'm going to do," Natalie said in a determined voice. "Besides, you're my friend Matt, regardless of your blood. I want to help you, and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Now I just need to hit that point with Lance." She decided that the brilliant smile Matt gave her was worth the stress she knew she'd have to deal with over the next few weeks.

Anna released a sigh of relief, "Good to know. Now to go apologize to Lance and hope he'll let us have some water. I'd kill for a drink that doesn't taste like old leather right now."

Matt grinned and ducked back into the cave. He lit a small ball of light for the two half-elves and led the way to a large stone chamber. Lance sat beside a small spring at the far end with a frown on his face, absently tossing pebbles into the water and watching the ripples that formed. He glanced up and around at the three as they entered, and stood up. Without a word, he backed away from the water, and nodded for them to have some. Silently, he ducked out of sight down another small tunnel. Matt caught Natalie's arm when she tried to follow him.

"It's his treasure store," Matt told her. "Never go into a dragon's store without their express permission. You risk your life and more if you do. Some older more and powerful dragons will have wards and protective spells defending their treasure. Lance might be able to set spells, or he might not, but either way, he'll attack you if you go in now."

Natalie glanced at the cave and nodded. She resolved to apologize as soon as Lance came back out, and turned to join Anna by the water. Matt settled down against the wall nearby, watching them. His eyes drifted over to the cave Lance had vanished into, and he frowned. Though the fire-drakeling hadn't said anything when he'd come in earlier, Matt could guess what the problem had been. Natalie had likely said or done something that displayed her mistrust of drakelings, and though she seemed resolved to work past it, Lance didn't know that. He hoped Lance would still come with them, for more reasons than just helping him unlock his dragon form—he could probably figure that out on his own now that he knew it was an option.

Lance obviously craved company, and had likely been alone for most of his life. Matt knew what that was like, and he didn't want to leave someone to that fate. The fire-drakeling needed a friend, and desperately if he was willing to reveal his haven to them. Natalie and Anna might not have understood the implications of Lance showing them to his den, but Matt did. It meant revealing the one place of safety he had to near-complete strangers, who could give that information to others. It had been a huge show of trust on the fire-drakeling's part, and he was likely regretting that decision now.

Lance had made a desperate move to try and gain their trust, and for Natalie to reject it—even if only temporarily—would be terrifying to him. Matt was willing to bet that Lance had located the only source of drinkable water around, and had made his den here for that reason. If the fire-drakeling thought that they were going to reveal his den to others, then he was likely wondering how long he could hold out. He might even have resigned himself to death and was merely waiting for them to leave him here.

Matt stood up with a determined look, and walked over to the cave that Lance had headed through. He ignored the confused and concerned looks the two women gave him. They needed to sort this out now. There was no point making Lance worry for nothing, and the sooner they settled the issue, the sooner they could begin forming bonds of trust and friendship. Matt stood before the cave and glanced back at the two women watching him. He turned back to the opening and spoke in a strange, snarling tongue, one he was certain Anna and Natalie wouldn't know. Behind him, the two half-elves jumped in surprise.

" _Lance, can you come out here?_ " Matt called. He frowned at the wordless snarl he got in response. " _Please?_ " he asked, " _We need to talk. I still want you to come along, and I'm sure you still want to go._ "

There was a long moment of silence.

" _I'm sure Natalie would be much happier if I stayed away from her,_ " Lance finally said in the same language. " _You guys can rest up here for the night, if you want, though._ "

" _And will you be coming with us tomorrow?_ " Matt asked. He frowned at the derisive snort he got in return. " _Come on, Lance. I know what it's like to be alone for a long time, and I know Natalie will come around. She's already started on it, too,_ " Matt pleaded. He let out a grin as he heard soft footsteps come down the tunnel.

Lance stopped as soon as Matt came into view, and eyed him. He could hear Anna and Natalie mumbling to each other in confused tones, but they didn't sound the least bit frightened. Matt met his eyes and gestured him forwards.

" _It's your cave, you shouldn't need my permission to go around it,_ " Matt said with a grin. " _Speaking of, explaining your intentions with revealing it to us would probably go a long way in gaining their trust. They don't know what letting us in here means._ "

Lance cracked a half-smile with a relieved look in his eyes, " _At least you got it, though._ "

Matt laughed and slipped back into the human language, "I should hope so. Now come on—I think Natalie has something she'd like to say to you."

Lance hesitated for a moment longer, but followed Matt when the light-drakeling turned to the water pool. Natalie and Anna looked up with welcoming smiles when Lance came out of the tunnel. The fire-drakeling gave them an uncertain smile in return and sat down not far away from them, though still too far to really be considered friendly. Natalie swallowed and met his eyes.

"I… I'm sorry for how I reacted, Lance. I said I can't judge you for something someone else did, but I ended up doing it, anyway. Thank you for letting us stay in your den, and I hope you still want to travel with us. I'm going to try my best to move past my hatred. It might take some time, but I promise I'll try," she said in a quiet voice. "Anna said some things to me that really put my behavior in perspective. I hope you can forgive me and are willing to give me a chance to change."

Lance looked taken aback at the sincere apology. His face heated some and he awkwardly glanced to the side. "Honestly, I was a little worried when you didn't want to come in that you had changed your mind about me," he admitted. "Being let into a dragon's—and even more so, a drakeling's—den is a major display of trust. I thought maybe if I opened the board first, you'd be more likely to trust me. I… kind of figured it had backfired, though."

Anna tilted her head to the side, "I know in elven culture, welcoming someone into your home means you consider them friends, but it doesn't count as a sign of trust."

Matt shot her a glance and explained in a quiet voice, "Of all the half-creatures, drakelings are the most uncommon, and the most hated. Dragons don't often mix with humans for a number of reasons: they live for far longer, they often have more feral and violent of natures, and children born from their union are detested. We're hunted by more people than any other half-creature for a multitude of reasons, and that leads to drakelings living in remote, hidden locations. Lance letting us in here, especially given his territory conditions, is the biggest display of trust you will likely ever get from anyone in your entire life."

"But _why_?" Anna asked. "I mean, I'm glad you want us to trust you so much that you would lead us here, but I don't get _why_ it's a display of trust."

"You now know where I sleep, where I retreat to when I need a safe haven, where you could trap me," Lance explained in a soft voice. "On top of that, if you decided you couldn't trust me, then you could reveal this location to others. Many, many, many people would trade much for the location of a drakeling. I can't just pick up and move elsewhere in the caldera, either. That pool of water there is the only drinkable water around, and leaving the caldera to find a new place to live would be very dangerous. I would be more or less doomed if hunters came for me here."

Natalie's and Anna's jaws dropped and they shot a look at Matt. The light-drakeling merely shrugged and looked completely unsurprised by Lance's thinking, though there was a distressed light in his eyes. Clearly, he didn't like the thought that Lance had even considered the idea that they would sell him out, but also understood why he had thought that way. Natalie swallowed and shook her head, not entirely sure she wanted to know what Matt had experienced to gain that sort of empathy. She turned her eyes back to Lance.

"I would never, ever direct people to kill someone; not even if that someone is a drakeling. Generally, my thoughts have always been I'd rather stay far away from all dragon kind, not I want to see them eradicated. Of course, you wouldn't have known that, though," she assured Lance in a level voice.

Anna nodded, "I've never hated drakelings. Feared them? Yes, until you set me straight on that point. But I have never, nor will ever even consider tipping people off to come hunt an innocent creature. I will never purposefully try to bring harm to you, Lance; not without reason, anyway. And it would have to be a very good reason. I owe you my life, and I take that kind of thing very seriously."

Lance's eyes shut and he slumped with relief, letting out a shuddering sigh. "Gods, I am so glad to hear that," he murmured.

The drakeling opened his eyes again and there was a new light and fire in them that hadn't been there before. He looked determined, having been given something far greater than any material object. He'd been given a chance to have true friends. Matt smiled and beckoned Lance to sit a little closer. His smile widened when the fire-drakeling glanced at the two half-elves for permission and they both nodded.

"So, judging by how skinny you are, I doubt you have any food here," Matt said. "Are you hungry?"

Lance stiffened and shook his head, "I'm hungry, but you're right that I don't have any food. I probably won't have any for another four days, at least. I can do some hunting once we're out of dragon territory."

Anna's jaw dropped, "Won't you be too weak to hunt by that point?"

Matt shot her a glance, "Dragons and drakelings only _need_ to eat once every month or so, depending on the size of their last meal. We _like_ to eat more often than that, though." He turned his attention back t Lance and added, "But you don't need to wait until we're in free territory. We have plenty of provisions we can share with you."

"You don't have to do that," Lance protested as Matt began digging through his pouch.

Natalie smiled over at him, "No, I suppose we don't, but we will. We have food to share. You're hungry, a teammate, and a friend, that means you get some of the food."

Lance looked unconvinced, "But I just met you, you shouldn't be counting me as a friend." He reluctantly accepted the meat and bread Matt handed him, but didn't start eating.

"For the love of…" Anna sighed. "Look, we count you as a friend now. You saved our lives, brought us to your home, and will be traveling with us. Now eat the damn food."

Matt chuckled, "She's right. Come on, Lance, it's tasty." He stuffed his share in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. "You'll feel and fight better on a full stomach, you know," He grinned when Lance finally nodded and began to eat his share, devouring it in seconds.

Natalie laughed and tossed another chunk of bread over. Lance looked stunned at the second helping, but didn't question as he ate it as well. Already he'd had more food in this one sitting then he'd had all month. He wondered if they always ate this well. None of them seem particularly surprised by the amount of food laid out, after all. In fact, Matt had begun pulling bits of bread off to toss up and catch in his mouth. Anna was pulling out another roll to eat, though the fact that she ate slowly indicated she was nearly full. The casual use of food suggested they normally ate well, and none of them were as skinny as he was.

Lance finally smiled, "Thanks, guys. It was good."

"No problem," Matt replied as he leaned back on his hands, "We'll be eating breakfast, too, so don't be shocked and refuse it come morning."

Lance chuckled, "I'll do my best. Now, why don't you try transforming again?"

Matt sat up, "Is this cave big enough for that?"

"Sure, I can fit in here twice over in my dragon form, and I doubt yours will end up bigger than mine. At least, not by much," Lance said.

The light-drakeling nodded and began trying to shift. He focused on moments when he lost himself in a fight, trying to capture the feral intensity that tended to drive his attacks. Deep in his being, he could feel a flicker of power, but when he reached for it, it danced out of reach. Matt opened his eyes again after several minutes trying and failing.

"I can feel it there, but I can't grasp it," he said in a dejected voice.

Lance shrugged, "It can be hard the first few times. I heard back in the nest that some drakelings need to be motivated by some external reason before they shift."

Natalie tilted her head, "Like what?"

Lance shrugged again, "Sometimes there will be moments when we're closer to our dragon halves and that can make the shift easier, too. I don't really remember why I first shifted, and it comes naturally to me now."

Matt sighed, "Well, I guess now that I know the feeling to look for, I can start focusing on it. Hopefully I'll manage it soon."

"You'll get it," Lance assured him as he stood up again. "Let's get some sleep. I'm guessing that we'll leave early?"

"As soon as the sun comes up," Matt agreed.

He dug into his pouch and pulled out a worn, but thick blanket and wrapped himself in it, and lied down on his side. Natalie and Anna pulled their cloaks tighter about themselves and curled up a little ways away from Matt, back to back, falling asleep almost immediately. Lance hesitated before silently slipping away to his store, not yet comfortable with sleeping near them, yet. He didn't see one of Matt's eyes crack open to watch him vanish. The light-drakeling blew out a sigh through his nose, and shut his eye again, vowing to speak with Lance about the importance of staying nearby in the field. He fell asleep shortly after.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _And Lance has been added to the team! Yay! I think I patched up any plot holes from being the pilot chapter, but let me know if something seems confusing or had no previous mention, but seems to be an established fact. Leave me a review and I'll be back someday—no promises on when, though! XD_

 ** _Responses to Guest reviewers:_**

 ** _Gamer:_** _I love EBF, too! Obviously, since I've written so much on it. :P I've been thinking about self-publishing my own, original story through Amazon, actually (obviously, I'd find errors and fix them—I see so many, re-reading my works, and they all bug me. A lot). But I have no social media presence, which is how self-published authors advertise, no professional writing courses under my belt, and an on-going college major in accounting. So, yeah, not a lot of free time, and I'm not sure my writing is good enough for professional, selling purposes, anyway. It's a fun hobby, and writing here on FF has certainly helped me improve, but I'm not sure my works would sell well. Plus, I haven't developed the discipline really needed or writing as a profession. I let my mind and fingers stray every which way, so everything takes a long time to get done. My entirely original story isn't very far along, either, and I doubt I'll finish it anytime soon with college and my stories here needing attention. I refuse to drop any works short of unexpected death on my part. :P Maybe in the future, though. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll pretty this story up, change a few things with the characters and sell it. It's a nice thought._

 ** _AdmiralAnonymous:_** _I know you have an actual FF account, but it's easier for my lazy self to reply to your latest comment here. XD Lance definitely has a hoard. It's a fairly sizeable one, too. As for LancexAnna, it is my OTP forever, so that'll definitely be happening later on, if I pair them off. MattxNatalie is obviously happening, but I'm not sure about LancexAnna, yet._

 ** _Guest:_** _That would be like giving a grizzly bear rights, which, as far as I know, hasn't seriously happened. The Phikao Spiders have animal sentience, but not human-like sentience. But now that you've mentioned it, would there be taxes on what they catch in their webs? How would that even be managed? o_O_

 ** _Little Follower:_** _Back in action again, only to vanish for several more weeks, I'm sure. :P Aysu, the ghost authoress. She comes swinging in every little while with a few thousand words, then vanishes for weeks on end once more. Clearly, she needs a schedule that she adheres to. :P_

 _I'm glad you liked the spider fight. I thought it was a hint of brilliance on my part: combines plot, action, and a hint of foreshadowing of sorts about Matt's drakeling status to his teammates.*Pats self on back* Good Aysu._

 _Yup, the brand is a small part of a larger arc. It won't be dealt with for quite some time, but it will be handled eventually in its own side arc thing. That part is actually already written, but it's so far in the future plot-wise, so don't hold your breath for it._

 ** _FOR ALL READERS:_** _I have a few things I've written for Transformed. They're side things that I wrote, but never made it in, as well as different directions I considered takin the plot. Should I toss that up in_ The Epic Tales _, or add it on as a bonus chapter for_ Transformed _? I honestly have no idea how to really handle them, but I figured you all would like to read them, so give me your opinions!_

 _See you all next update!_


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